A gay man in Southern California burned to death last week in his apartment after being doused with gasoline and set aflame by an arsonist who claimed to hate gay people, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Martin Thomas Hartman, 38, has been charged with murder, arson and a hate crime in connection with the incident. He could face the death penalty, if convicted.
According to police, Hartman went to the Santa Barbara, Calif.,
apartment of Clinton Scott Risetter, 37, on Feb. 24 and set Risetter on fire while he was sleeping. The victim tried to escape as he was burning, and firefighters found him dead on the patio.
Hartman, who was an acquaintance of the victim's, came forward two days later and detailed for detectives how he had burned Risetter. He reportedly also told police that he was upset to learn that Risetter was gay and that his hatred of gay men had come from being "hit on" by another man.
"I think any human being who is set on fire is about as heinous an act as possible," former City Councilman Tom Roberts, who is gay, told the Times. "But this was done as a hate crime, which makes it much more profoundly sad."
Hartman has a history of mental illness and was a suspect in previous arson incidents, but police said there wasn't enough evidence to arrest him in those cases.
Risetter moved to Southern California from South Dakota more than a decade ago to become an actor. He landed part-time modeling work and a few bit parts in films like "Doc Hollywood," but he had been unemployed in recent months.
A makeshift memorial of flowers and candles was erected in recent days in the driveway of Risetter's apartment. On a nearby tree, a note read: "United We Stand. Never be forgotten. Always to be loved. A symbol of silence that needs to be broken."
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