A man has been arrested for beating a gay guy to death on Christmas Day in front of his husband
Crime Stoppers (CBS New York)
A man has been arrested in connection with the fatal beating of a gay man in the early hours of Christmas Day in New York.
18-year-old Abu Conteh has been arrested and charged with murder and gang assault after video footage showed him and a group of other men attacking Juan Fresnada, ABC News reports.
The horrifying assault left Fresnada with a fractured skull and a bleed to the brain. The assailants fled the scene after robbing him of just $1, and Fresnada later died in hospital.
Conteh has been charged with second-degree murder and gang assault in the first and second degree. Police have reportedly identified two other potential suspects in the case.
Disturbing video footage shows gay man Juan Fresnada thrown to the ground and stomped on by group of men.
Fresnada – who was known to friends as Cuba – was 60-years-old when he died three days after his assault. In disturbing video footage released by police, he can be seen being violently thrown to the ground where he was stamped on repeatedly.
Shockingly, the footage also showed cars and buses driving past Fresnada as he lay dying on the road – and nobody stopped to help him.
The guy had his fist ready like he was ready to attack me. My husband said, ‘Don’t you get close to him.’
During the attack, Fresnada grabbed a trash can and tried to use it to defend himself against the attackers.
His husband Byron Caceres told the New York Daily News: “The guy had his fist ready like he was ready to attack me. My husband said, ‘Don’t you get close to him.’”
The attack lasted 10-15 minutes in total.
After fleeing the scene to seek help, Caceres returned to find his husband with a fractured skull. The attack lasted 10-15 minutes in total.
“He was breathing heavily and bleeding from his head,” Caceres said. “I tried to give him CPR but then a guy said I should stop because of how heavily he was breathing.
The horrifying attack has left Caceres without his husband and left the local LGBT+ community reeling.
The attack is being treated as a robbery. It is unclear if the men were targeted because of their sexual orientation.
Police have released CCTV footage of the attackers and are urging the public to contact them if they recognise any of the assailants. Anyone who has information about the attackers can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS.
