Teen charged with stalking after allegedly saying he ‘couldn’t wait to kill a gay person’
An 18-year-old has been charged with a hate crime (Getty Images, stock)
An 18-year-old Utah man has been charged with a hate crime after allegedly stalking a former classmate and repeatedly threatening to kill him and his family because of his sexual orientation.
According to the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office and charging documents obtained by KSL, Damyen Vainuku allegedly targeted a former West High School classmate, identified as F.F.
F.F. told police that on 20 August, Vainuku threatened to shoot him and his family because he is gay. Despite repeatedly asking Vainuku to stop contacting him, Vainuku allegedly continued trying to follow him across social media using multiple accounts and sent repeated threats.
Among the alleged messages was a statement that he “couldn’t wait to kill a gay person”, according to a press release from the district attorney. He also allegedly told F.F. that he wanted to make his family “suffer” so they would “learn not to be gay”, and allegedly wrote: “can’t wait to slide to ur crib and kill ur family.”
According to court documents, police identified 13 specific threats of violence involving a firearm that Vainuku allegedly made toward F.F. The documents also say he allegedly threatened to post and distribute intimate videos of the victim.
Authorities took Vainuku into custody on 25 August. After his arrest, prosecutors say he admitted to threatening F.F. and his family because of F.F.’s sexual orientation.
In a 3 September statement, Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill called the alleged threats “unacceptable,” saying that stalking and threats based on someone’s sexual orientation are “abhorrent” and make the community less safe. The DA’s Survivor and Victims Services team is working with F.F. and his family, Gill said.
Vainuku faces six third-degree felony counts of prohibited dangerous weapon conduct, as well as charges of stalking, threat of violence and harassment. The threat-of-violence and harassment charges, which are usually class B misdemeanours, were upgraded under Utah’s victim-targeting penalty enhancement because prosecutors allege F.F. was intentionally targeted because of his sexual orientation.
The case is now moving through the courts. Vainuku is presumed innocent unless and until he is proven guilty.
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