by Aaron Davis

July 24, 2017

 

OAKLEY — A murder suspect with a long history of using racial slurs against blacks — and who admitted in a jailhouse interview to referring to his purported victim by the N-word — is not facing a hate crime charge from prosecutors, a decision that has generated a groundswell of criticism and anger on social media.

Some social media commentators have said the Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office is “in denial” and “covering up for white supremacists,” but the case against Philip Wade, 38, also underscores the tricky legal issues surrounding hate crimes, an ever-more-commonly used term in social and political debate that poses tough challenges to prosecutors seeking a courtroom conviction.

“Particularly in murder cases, it’s not unusual for prosecutors to decide not to make (a hate crime) an element of what they have to prove when they have an otherwise more contained direct murder case,” said Brian Levin, the director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at Cal State San Bernardino.

 

Full article:

Should Oakley stabbing suspect with history of racial slurs have been charged with hate crime?