The Broward County Sheriff’s Office says it will not investigate the fatal beating of a gay Wilton Manors man as a hate crime.
On April 6, two men reportedly attacked and robbed Craig Cohen, 47, stomping on his head and shattering his skull. The trauma placed Cohen into a coma, which lasted six months before his Oct. 7 death. The two men allegedly behind the attack are charged with attempted murder, but those charges could be upgraded to murder pending autopsy results.
Scott Hall, president of Gay American Heroes, insists that the two men, who also robbed and beat another gay man that night, were targeting victims based on their sexual orientation. Detectives disagree and say it was a “wrong place, wrong time” situation.
There is a candlelight vigil for Cohen Oct. 15, 8 p.m., at the Lake Eola Pagoda.
