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Copyright 1999 The Houston Chronicle Publishing Company

The Houston Chronicle

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April 30, 1999, Friday 3 STAR EDITION

SECTION: A; Pg. 33 MetFront

LENGTH: 595 words

HEADLINE: Killer apologizes to Houston gays;

Man who knifed banker to death in '91 repents in letter

SOURCE: Staff

BYLINE: JOHN MAKEIG

BODY:

The youth who knifed gay banker Paul Broussard to death in 1991 is now pleading to "offer myself for the service of the gay and lesbian community" in Houston.

Jon Christopher Buice, 25, now a trusty at the prison system's Wynne Unit outside Huntsville, wrote a lengthy letter of apology to Houston radio station KPFT. It was printed in the Houston Voice.

"The gay and lesbian community of Houston I owe a momentous apology," the letter says. "A repentance for an act of atrocity. The night of July 4th, 1991, haunts me every day. It has hurt me deep inside. I was involved in taking a man's life."

Buice, now in the seventh year of his 45-year sentence, was among 10 students at what was then McCullough High School in The Woodlands who drove to Montrose that July 4 looking for homosexuals to harass.

They spotted Broussard, 27, and two friends walking not far from the gay nightspot Heaven, on Hyde Park. The 10 got out and began beating and kicking the three.

Two escaped, but Broussard was stabbed to death by Buice, then 17.

Six of the 10 youths were sentenced to prison and four got probation. One of the probationers later went to prison for punching a guard at Harris County's boot camp.

In his letter, Buice says he has had nightmares since the episode and now is "sincerely sorry for what happened."

"If it were possible, I would sacrifice my own life to bring Paul back. But this is not conceivable. And I aspire that you will hear the cries of who I am today.

"As I've grown older, I have gained a more relative understanding of what took place that night in Houston. It was never my intention to harm anyone. Never could I possibly imagine I would take a human life, or take part in any action which would inflict fatal injuries.

"But the fact remains: I did participate and I have taken responsibility for this. Of course I knew I was wrong. In my youth I made poor decisions. After years here in prison, I see how disruptive my life and attitudes were."

Now, the letter says, Buice learns through news stories of "some hateful action taken against the minority of or of a differing sexual orientation. This wounds my heart and I'm appalled to know that I, too, was involved in this type of action."

The letter says he hopes society will give him a chance to show he is not hateful but "a person of integrity, spiritual and moral merit."

Exactly how he wants to help gays and lesbians was not specified in the letter, but it does suggest telling his story to others and maybe keeping them from making "the same mistake I have."

Broussard's mother, Nancy Rodriguez, who lives in the Atlanta area, said she suspects Houston gay activist Ray Hill may have written the letter himself.

Hill, who also once served time in prison, acknowledged that he has been in contact with Buice and some of the other 10 assailants since 1991, but he insisted Buice wrote the letter himself.

"Jon is in the prison system's victims' confrontation program now, and what he wants is for Nancy Rodriguez to come (to the Wynne Unit) and scream at him," Hill said.

Prison spokesman Larry Todd said Buice, described as a trouble-free prisoner, will be eligible for parole in 2003.

"I wouldn't anticipate a parole unless there are some unusual circumstances," Todd said. "The parole board's not turning anybody loose this early."

Broussard's mother said she thinks it is "a joke" that Buice's family may have hired attorneys to try to expedite parole.

"They should take whatever they're giving the lawyers and contribute it to charity," Rodriguez said.

GRAPHIC: Mug: Jon Buice (photo from 1992): "If it were possible, I would sacrifice my own life to bring Paul back." (p. 34)

LANGUAGE: ENGLISH

LOAD-DATE: May 1, 1999

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October 12, 1995, Thursday, 3 STAR Edition

SECTION: a; Pg. 1

LENGTH: 913 words

HEADLINE: Hate crimes on the increase in Houston

BYLINE: KATHY WALT, Houston Chronicle Austin Bureau; Staff

DATELINE: AUSTIN

BODY:

AUSTIN - Hung

Truong, a 15-year-old Vietnamese immigrant, met his death on

the streets of Houston in 1990, kicked in the head by a

17-year-old skinhead. And in so doing he became one of the

earliest reported victims of hate crime in Houston.

The following year, Paul Broussard, a gay banker, was stabbed

to death outside a Montrose nightclub, and Tarron Dixon, a

black Persian Gulf veteran, was shot to death on the street

where he grew up - both victims of hate crimes.

Last year, the incidences of hate violence grew even more,

including a bombing at the Congregation Emanu El, which did

minor damage to the synagogue, and the murder of Michael

Burzinski, a 29-year-old gay businessman who was shot to death

in Montrose and was one of eight gay men murdered in Texas

that year.

While hate crimes are leveling off in some urban areas of

Texas, the number of minorities, gays and lesbians targeted

for assaults in Houston is on the rise, according to a

statewide survey of such crimes. In Houston, too, the number

of whites attacked because of their race increased

dramatically during the past three years.

There were 14 incidents of hate crimes against whites last

year, compared with 13 against gays, 12 against blacks and

eight against Hispanics. Reports of attacks on all four groups

increased significantly from two years earlier.

""Hate crimes continue to be a very pervasive problem in

Texas,''said James C. Harrington, legal director of the Texas

Civil Rights Project, which conducted the survey.

The study, released Wednesday, maps the number of hate crimes

reported by various law enforcement agencies to the Texas

Department of Public Safety for 1992, 1993 and 1994.

Historically, Harrington said, blacks and Hispanics have

suffered the most, being subjected to ""murders, lynchings,

killings'' and even shootings by some law enforcement

agencies.

""Our hate crime problem is a legacy of that tragic history,''

he added.

As a group, African-Americans have suffered the brunt of hate

crime, being victims in 42 percent of the 1,286 hate crimes

reported in Texas between 1992 and 1994, the study found.

Statewide, the overall number of hate crimes dropped 8 percent

in the three-year period, but most of that drop was attributed

to an overall decrease in violence against whites and a

significant decrease in the number of black victims in the

Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Increased awareness and training by police and prosecutors in

that area accounted for a 41 percent drop in the numbers of

hate crimes there, Harrington said.

Crimes reported against Hispanics and Jews dropped between

1993 and 1994 across the state, but they increased

dramatically against Asian Pacific Americans and against gays

and lesbians.

While Harrington said the number of reported hate crimes

likely represents only a small percentage of those that

actually occur, there is some thought that the increased

number of crimes recorded in Houston reflects only an

increased awareness and reporting of hate crimes.

""Some (of the crimes) have been so heinous it has raised

people's awareness, and perhaps more are being reported,'' said

Keith Stewart, vice president of the Houston Gay-Lesbian

Politcal Caucus.

Although Broussard was murdered four years ago, Stewart said,

his death ""shocked people out of their denial. It's still a

poignant issue. ''

Harrington also acknowledged, however, that because reporting

of hate crimes is relatively new, there is no way of

discerning whether the numbers reflect actual increases in the

number of incidents or increased reporting.

He said hate crimes against Hispanics and Asian-Americans is

likely to continue to rise as anti-immigration sentiment grows

stronger.

The federal government began collecting data on hate crimes in

1990. In 1993 the Texas Legislature amended the penal code to

allow stiffer sentencing of those convicted of hate crimes.

Efforts to strengthen that bill in the 1995 session, however,

were killed in the House.

The Texas Civil Rights Project recommended 36 courses of

action to curb such violence, including:

Increased training for police and prosecutors on recognizing

and prosecuting hate crimes.

Imposition of community service requirements or other ""more

creative sentences'' that teach those convicted of hate crimes

to be more tolerant.

Mandated curricula in public schools to curb intolerance of

minorities, gays and lesbians.

Stewart said Houston police, aware of the potential for

gay-bashing, are doing a better job of policing Montrose. And

while the murder cases are most likely to get all the

attention, he said, most of the problem gays and lesbians

suffer is with harassment.

""Mostly what we get are people who drive around and look at

the queers,'' he said. ""If they get brave, they might yell at

you, and if they get really brave they might chunk something

at you. ''

He sees the problem - at least in hate crimes against gays and

lesbians - as stemming from social tolerance.

""It's not acceptable to use the 'N' word,'' he said, ""but it's

still OK to harass queers. ''

___________

Reported hate crimes.

______________Houston______Texas.

____________'92___'94___'92___'94.

Gays/Lesbians__9___13_____59___64.

Blacks________5___12____214__166.

Whites________1___14____129___73.

Hispanics_____2_____8____22____37.

Jews_________2_____2____34____24.

Asian-Americans 3___2_____14___18.

GRAPHIC: Graph: Reported hate crimes (text) (p. 12); Houston Chronicle, Source: Texas Department of Public Safety

LANGUAGE: ENGLISH

LOAD-DATE: October 13, 1995

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June 1, 1995, Thursday, 2 STAR Edition

SECTION: A; Pg. 31

LENGTH: 422 words

HEADLINE: Figure in fatal gay-bashing loses probation, goes to prison

BYLINE: JENNIFER LIEBRUM; Staff

BODY:

A young man who repeatedly failed to uphold the terms of

the probation he received in the beating death of a gay banker ran

out of chances Wednesday to stay out of prison.

Prosecutor Mike Anderson said Gayland Earl Randle ""laughed

in the faces of all the people who have tried to scare him

straight,'' and asked that he be sent to prison for 20 years.

State District Judge Brian Rains responded by sentencing

Randle to 15 years and a day, effectively blocking Randle from

being released on bond while appealing the sentence.

Randle, 21, was placed on 10 years deferred adjudication in

June 1993 for his role in the July 4, 1991, beating and stabbing of

Paul Broussard, 26, after he left a Montrose nightclub. In deferred

adjudication, if the person meets the terms of the court's

agreement, the crime does not appear on his record.

He was among 10 young men involved in the slaying.

Less than eight weeks after pleading guilty to his role in

the murder, Randle was kicked out of the court-ordered boot camp

for threatening a guard. But Rains gave him another chance.

At the end of the second boot camp stint, Randle was to pay

restitution, meet a curfew, get a job and carry out 500 hours of

community service.

Randle apparently was falling down in all areas, prompting

his probation officer to ask for a hearing to explore whether his

infractions required that he be jailed.

Rains listened impatiently as Randle's attorneys tried to

make excuses for their client.

Randle missed appointments with his probation officer because

he was tied up at work, they said. He stockpiled community service

hours so if he skipped a month, he had a surplus. He broke curfew

to work.

Boot camp drill sergeants who came to court to brag on Randle

were turned away after one testified.

Rains said the issue was not how well Randle can conform in

confinement, but how poorly he handled himself on his own.

Randle's father, Thomas Randle, was clearly emotional after

the decision.

""I think it's purely political, and I think he (Rains)

yielded to pressure from the gay community,'' he said, recalling

the outrage in the homosexual community after Broussard's slaying.

""He had his mind made up when he walked in. ''

His son, he said, was ""working hard. We felt he had done

what he was supposed to do. ''

Broussard's mother, Nancy Rodriguez, denied any outside

influence on the judge, insisting that Randle was responsible for

his own destiny.

""He's proved he can't be rehabilitated. ''

GRAPHIC: Photo: Gayland Earl Randle

LANGUAGE: ENGLISH

LOAD-DATE: February 5, 1997

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May 26, 1995, Friday, 2 STAR Edition

SECTION: A; Pg. 34

LENGTH: 456 words

HEADLINE: Parent is cleared in Broussard case;

Son took part in gay-bashing

BYLINE: GEORGE FLYNN; Staff

BODY:

An appeals court ruled Thursday that civil liability for

the murder of Paul Broussard does not extend to a youth's mother,

because she could not foresee her son's violent tendencies.

The 1st Court of Appeals upheld the summary judgment granted

Mary Anne Spencer in a lawsuit filed by Broussard's mother, Nancy

Rodriguez of Atlanta.

The ruling technically applies only to the case of Spencer,

mother of Brian Douglas Spake, but is expected to signal the same

ending for Rodriguez's suits against the parents of other

Woodlands-area youths convicted in the case.

Three of those families have settled their civil cases. The

remaining six defendants are expected to have their suits dismissed

through summary judgments pending before state District Judge

Harriet O'Neill.

Attorney Larry S.Lee's appeal in the Spencer case had been

watched closely by attorneys to determine if it would expand the

legal liability limits of parents for their children's actions.

One week ago, a jury assessed $ 10.5 million in civil damages

against Spake, now 21, for his role in the killing of Broussard

during a gay-bashing outing by the 10 youths July 4, 1991.

Lee said he plans to appeal to the Texas Supreme Court.

""This decision is going to make it virtually impossible to

hold parents accountable for their children's criminal conduct,''

he said. ""All the parent has to say is, "My kid was a Boy Scout'

and they're off the hook. ''

The opinion, written by Justice Tim Taft, emphasizes that

Spencer had no real reason to view Spake as a threat to anyone. He

was an average student with no school discipline problems, and

apparently honest and reliable, the opinion said.

On the evening of the killing, Spake told his mother he was

spending the night at the house of a friend she trusted. Instead,

he went out with Jon Christopher Buice, later convicted as the one

who stabbed Broussard.

Spencer said she had forbidden Spake to associate with Buice,

although Buice said he remained a companion and even stayed at

Spake's home.

""The fact Buice spent the night at Spencer's house or stayed

out past curfew with her son does not mean Spencer knew or should

have known her son was violent, hated homosexuals or would commit

criminal acts,'' the opinion said.

The limits on parental liability, it said, do not extend to

cases of specific negligence or misconduct, such as a parent

recklessly providing a child with a car or weapon that causes

injuries or death to others.

Spake and four others received probated terms in the killing.

Five others were sent to prison, including Buice, who received a

45-year term.

Concurring in the appellate opinion were Justices Murry Cohen

and Margaret Mirabal.

LANGUAGE: ENGLISH

LOAD-DATE: February 5, 1997

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May 19, 1995, Friday, 2 STAR Edition

SECTION: A; Pg. 25

LENGTH: 726 words

HEADLINE: Gay-basher must pay for brutal death;

Broussard's family awarded $ 10.5 million

BYLINE: GEORGE FLYNN; Staff

BODY:

A jury returned a verdict of $ 10.5 million in civil damages

Thursday against one of 10 Woodlands-area youths involved in the

1991 ""gay bashing'' killing of Houston banker Paul Broussard.

The panel ruled that Brian Spake, 21, should pay Broussard's

family for gross negligence in causing Broussard's death. Spake

testified he kicked the victim, who was stabbed to death by

another.

Jurors failed to reach a verdict on co-defendant Jeffrey

Valentine, 21. He told the court he remained by one of the cars and

did not participate in the attack on July 4, 1991 in the Montrose

area.

State District Judge Harriet O'Neill accepted the partial

verdict after jurors remained deadlocked in three days of sometimes

acrimonious deliberations on Valentine.

Attorney Larry S. Lee had filed the lawsuit on behalf of

Broussard's mother, Nancy Rodriguez of Atlanta. He conceded it is

doubtful that the damages will be collected.

""It is not really about the money -- it is the message,''

Lee said. ""This community is not going to condone this type of

vicious hate crime. Those who commit them will be pursued in both

criminal and civil courts. ''

Lee said he will seek retrial of Valentine. However,

Valentine's attorney Terry Gaiser called a new trial unneeded and

unnecessary.

""They were awarded $ 9.5 million in compensatory damages.

He's not going to get any more in damages. Set aside the

inflammatory nature of the accusations and look at the facts:

""My client was on the periphery of this regrettable episode.

He didn't know what was happening and he couldn't have stopped

it,'' Gaiser said.

Rodriguez wept inaudibly after the end of the weeklong trial.

""It was a good verdict, but there's lots more to be done,''

she said. ""Right now, I want to go home. ''

The 10 have been convicted of criminal offenses stemming from

the killing and received sentences ranging from probation to prison.

Spake's attorney, Gary Oncken, said a decision will be made

later on a possible appeal.

""Jurors heard him as the one person who, by his own

admission, laid hands on Broussard. At least, he had the guts to

stand up and say what he did. ''

Lee said one source of funds may be the Spake family's

homeowner's insurance policy.

Oncken said insurers are refusing to pay because of

restrictions for intentionally committed acts. Lee said the award

effectively will bar Spake from profitting from his role in any

future books, movies or appearances.

Jurors awarded $ 8 million for compensation for Broussard's

pain, mental anguish, medical and funeral expenses. He lived for

about eight hours after he was beaten, stomped and stabbed.

Jury foreman Clem Ary, a 45-year-old mechanic, said, ""We

took into consideration the nature of what happened, the brutal way

he died and the extreme suffering involved in those final hours. It

seemed like $ 1 million an hour was a round figure reflecting all of

that. ''

His mother, the verdict stated, should receive $ 1.5 million

in compensation for her anguish and loss. Another $ 1 million was

assessed in punitive damages against Spake.

Votes on issues involving Valentine ranged from 9-3, one

short of the required 10 votes, to a 6-6 split.

Ary said jurors considered Valentine, who said he thought the

group was going into Houston for dancing, was relatively new to the

area and the other youths.

""Some of us thought he just went along for the ride,'' Ary

said.

""Others thought he should have made a move to break it up.

He was young -- I don't know, he may have been afraid. ''

Six more young men are awaiting trial on the civil lawsuit.

They include Jon Christopher Buice, 20, who received a 45-year

prison term for doing the actual stabbing.

Paul Chance Dillon, 24, was sentenced to 20 years. Receiving

15-year sentences were Leandro Ramirez, 20; Javier Aguirre, 20; and

brother Jaime Aguirre, 21.

Ten-year probations were assessed against Gayland E. Randle,

20; Raphael Gonzalez, 21; Derrick Jan Atard, 21; Spake and

Valentine.

Lee said settlements have been reached with the families of

Atard, Gonzalez and Randle.

The parents of the youths also were sued for failing to

exercise ordinary control over their sons, although the defendants

gained summary judgments in those cases.

That ruling is being appealed by Rodriguez.

LANGUAGE: ENGLISH

LOAD-DATE: February 3, 1997

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April 18, 1995, Tuesday, 3 STAR Edition

SECTION: A; Pg. 11

LENGTH: 734 words

HEADLINE: Suit: Parents must pay for kids' crimes;

Dead banker's mom appeals ruling

BYLINE: GEORGE FLYNN; Staff

BODY:

The 1991 killing of banker Paul Broussard prompted

widespread public outrage over ""gay bashing,'' but it could have a

far more significant impact in the legal arena -- by making parents

liable for crimes committed by their children.

Broussard's mother, Nancy Rod-riguez, has filed suit against

the 10 Woodlands-area youths convicted in her son's stabbing death

-- and their parents, as well.

Rodriguez, now living in Atlanta, accuses the parents of

failing to exert reasonable control over their sons and of not

exercising the kind of supervision that would have prevented

Broussard's death.

""In this era of ever-increasing youth crime, the time is

right to put some responsibility where it belongs -- in the home,''

said attorney Larry S. Lee.

""These were all minors living at home. Parents should have

some duty to exercise ordinary care over these kids who are going

out and destroying the lives of innocent victims,'' Lee said.

On the night of July 3, 1991, the youths traveled to Houston

to hassle homosexuals in the Montrose area. They spotted Broussard

near the Heaven nightclub, piled out of their cars and attacked --

beating, kicking, and, finally, stabbing him to death.

The 1st Court of Appeals heard arguments Monday on

Rodriguez's appeal of a trial court's summary judgment to drop the

case against Anne Spencer, mother of Brian Douglas Spake, 19, who

received 10 years' probation for his part in the case.

Spencer attorney Britton Harris had argued successfully that

Spencer had no basis to believe her son was capable of the kind of

violence that killed Broussard.

Spake's only previous crime was shoplifting an $ 8 audio

cassette, Harris said, and his mother had put him on a midnight

curfew and had ordered him not to see Jon Christopher Buice, who

stabbed Broussard later that night.

Spake had told his mother he was spending that night with a

clean-cut youth whom she trusted, Harris said. Spake never went to

that youth's house, instead joining the others in the

""gay-bashing'' spree.

But Rodriguez's attorney, Clinard Hanby, countered that

Spencer's version was self-serving and not necessarily supported by

other evidence. Buice actually had spent the night at her home and

visited Spake and Spencer several times during the period when

Buice was supposed banned by Spencer, Hanby said.

If she did have a midnight curfew, Spencer had violated it

several times, the attorney said. And she should have known that

the youths had been cruising in the early morning hours before,

Hanby said.

The larger issue in the case is parental liability for

children's actions, which is an established part of civil law,

although it has been largely limited to overt neglect or negligence

on the part of the adults. Injuries or accidents caused by access

to automobiles or firearms or alcohol are examples of such cases.

But the case brought by Rodriguez argues that liability

should fall on parents who fail to control their children when they

know -- or should know -- that the children were capable of

dangerous acts.

Lee said two families have already settled with Rodriguez for

undisclosed amounts. The other cases are on hold, pending the

outcome of the appeal in the Spencer case. The appeal was heard

Monday by Justices Murry Cohen, Tim Taft and Margaret Mirabal.

The trial on Rodriguez's civil suit is set to begin next

month before state District Judge Harriet O'Neill. She already has

signed bench warrants to have the Texas Department of Criminal

Justice bring the five youths imprisoned in the case to the

courtroom, Lee said.

""This case may have been seen initially as a fight for gay

rights,'' Lee said, ""but it is actually a fight now for parental

responsibility. ''

Buice pleaded guilty and received a 45-year sentence that

cannot end in parole before he has served more than a decade in

prison.

Five others -- Spake, Jeffery Valentine, Gayland Earl Randle,

Raphael G. Gonzalez and Derrick J.Attard -- were given 10 years'

probation. All five went to Harris County's boot camp.

Three others -- Leandro E. Ramirez, Javier Aguirre and Jaime

Aguirre -- pleaded guilty and were sentenced to 15 years and one

day in prison.

Paul Chance Dillion, already under a 15-year sentence for

violating his probation for a burglary in Montgomery County, was

sentenced to a 20-year prison term.

GRAPHIC: Mug: Paul Broussard (p. 13)

LANGUAGE: ENGLISH

LOAD-DATE: May 10, 1995

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March 4, 1995, Saturday, 2 STAR Edition

SECTION: A; Pg. 29

LENGTH: 486 words

HEADLINE: Teen in Broussard case back in custody;

99-year term possible for parole violations

BYLINE: S.K. BARDWELL; Staff

BODY:

A teen who got probation for his role in the 1991 gay-bashing

death of banker Paul Broussard is back in custody after allegedly

violating terms of his probation agreement.

If 19-year-old Gayland Earl Randle had received regular

probation for his guilty plea in 1993, he would face at most 10

years in prison upon revocation. Because he received deferred

adjudication, he now faces five to 99 years in prison.

""I'm going to do my best to see that he gets the maximum,''

said Nancy Rodriguez, Broussard's mother, from her Georgia office

Friday.

Rodriguez is coming to Houston today for a week-long visit

during which she will meet with prosecutor Mike Anderson and make

plans to attend Randle's revocation hearing, tentatively scheduled

for March 30.

""If the judge will allow me to speak (at that hearing), I

would like to,'' Rodriguez said. ""I think the judge should give

him the maximum, to send a message to the others that this is not a

joke. ''

Ten young Woodlands-area men were convicted in connection

with Broussard's July 4, 1991, death outside a Montrose-area night

club. Investigators learned they had driven to the area to harass

gays. Broussard was beaten, kicked, stomped and stabbed to death.

The man who actually stabbed Broussard, 19-year-old Jon

Christopher Buice, received a 45-year prison term. Paul Dillion,

24, received a 20-year sentence; three others received sentences of

15 years and a day. Randle and the remaining four defendants

received probation.

Randle and co-defendant Raphael Gonzalez were sent to the

Harris County Boot Camp to begin their probated sentences; two

months later both were back before District Judge Brian Rains for

threatening drill instructors at the camp.

""The judge let them go back (to the boot camp) and try

again,'' Rodriguez said Friday. ""I think that's enough chances.

It's a lot more chance than my son had. ''

Randle was taken into custody Thursday, at the probation

office, for what Andy Kahan, of the Mayor's Victims Assistance

Office, called ""a bunch of technical violations. ''

Records show Randle ""has done very little to try and comply

with the terms of his probationary agreement,'' Kahan said.

Violations include failure to pay probation fees, failure to

perform community service work ordered by Rains and repeated

failures to report to his probation officer.

Kahan, too, will lobby for revocation of Randle's probation

and for the maximum sentence, in hopes of sending a message to

others: ""If you don't toe the line, if you don't abide by the

conditions you agreed to, you'll be facing the same consequences. ''

""They should have to live with what they've done, with the

consequences of what they've done, for the rest of their lives,''

Rodriguez said, ""The same way I've got to live without my child

for the rest of my life. There's no easy way out for me, either. ''

GRAPHIC: Mugs: 1. Gayland Earl Randle; 2. Nancy Rodriguez; 3. Paul Broussard (p. 32)

LANGUAGE: ENGLISH

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June 2, 1993, Wednesday, 2 STAR Edition

SECTION: A; Pg. 15

LENGTH: 630 words

HEADLINE: 5 more sentenced in gay death;

Teens receive probation, boot camp in Broussard slaying

BYLINE: JO ANN ZUNIGA; Staff

BODY:

Five youths involved in the stabbing and beating death of a

gay man in the Montrose area each pleaded guilty to murder Tuesday

and were sentenced to 10 years' probation, a punishment that will

include boot camp and community service.

The ethnically mixed group of whites, blacks and Hispanics

from The Woodlands, although able to overcome racism, had

prejudices against gays to the point of being ""an equal

opportunity hate group,'' said prosecutor Mike Anderson.

A total of 10 youths have been charged in the death of

Houston banker Paul Broussard, attacked outside a Montrose bar on

July 4, 1991.

Jon Christopher Buice, 18, who did the actual stabbing, is

serving a 45-year sentence for the murder. Three others pleaded

guilty in January and received 15-year prison terms. One other

defendant has yet to stand trial for the crime but currently is

serving time for a probation revocation on a prior, unrelated

conviction.

Broussard's mother, Nancy Rodriguez, agreed to Tuesday's

probated terms because these latest five did not actually hit

Broussard, but accompanied those who carried out the assault.

Rodriguez said probation will ensure the state will have control of

these five teen-agers for the next 10 years rather than a

short-term prison sentence.

Touching her son's Texas A&M University gold college ring she

wore on her right hand, Rodriguez said: ""I wear his ring every

day. He had it on the day he died. ''

Derrick Attard, Raphael Gonzalez, Brian Spake, Gayland Randle

and Jeffery Valentine, all 19, will be transported to the Harris

County Boot Camp and placed in separate platoons, specified state

District Judge Brian Rains. A minimum stay at the military-style

boot camp run by the Sheriff's Department is three months.

Afterward, they also must attend monthly meetings of Parents

of Murdered Children for a year and serve 500 hours in a community

organization. Gay activists have recommended the teens serve such

groups as the help line of the Gay and Lesbian Switchboard or the

Metropolitan Community Church of the Resurrection to see gays as

real people rather than hate objects.

They also must each pay $ 1,900 in restitution to the

Broussard family and $ 300 to one of two companions of Broussard who

also was hurt in the attack, but managed to escape.

The families of the teens attended the sentencings, but did

not comment. Several girlfriends of the teens sat weeping in the

courtroom.

One of the defense attorneys, Gerald Bourque, who represented

Randle, said: ""This was a very difficult case. Emotions were so

high. We only decided within the past week to agree to probation.

""These boys feel the responsibility and anguish,'' he said.

However, gay activist Brian Bradley alleged some families and

friends of the defendants were hissing and laughing at Broussard's

mother. ""They are not worthy of the lenience they received today.

This has been largely a charade for them,'' Bradley said.

Rodriguez said only Spake and his parents have come forward

to apologize.

Attard and Gonzalez were given deferred adjudication, meaning

if they complete their probations without violations, their

convictions will not show on their records although their pleas of

guilty will.

Gay activist Scott Lewis said the sentencings may give a

valuable lesson to other teens who taunt homosexuals as a way of

showing their manhood or prejudices.

""I'm not so concerned with these 10 boys learning a lesson,

because it's too late for them,'' Lewis said.

""I'm concerned with teaching this lesson to those hundreds

of boys and teen-agers driving by Westheimer and yelling "fag' who

may get to the point of getting out of their car and beating us

till we lie bleeding on the street. ''

LANGUAGE: ENGLISH

LOAD-DATE: June 5, 1993

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The Houston Chronicle

April 4, 1993, Sunday, 3 STAR Edition

SECTION: A; Pg. 36

LENGTH: 392 words

HEADLINE: Man charged in killing is given 15 years for violating probation

BYLINE: PAUL McKAY; Staff

DATELINE: CONROE

BODY:

CONROE -- A Woodlands man charged in the murder of a gay

Houston man was sentenced to 15 years in prison Saturday for

violating his probation on a burglary case in Montgomery County.

Paul Chance Dillon, 23, was sentenced by state District Judge

James Keeshan, who ruled that he had violated probation by

committing assault in the July 4, 1991, episode in which Houston

banker Paul Broussard was killed outside a Montrose bar.

Dillon and nine others from The Woodlands were charged in

Harris County with Broussard's murder. Jon Christopher Buice, 19,

pleaded guilty last May to dealing the fatal blows and is now

serving a 45-year sentence.

Three other defendants in the Broussard case were sentenced

to 15-year prison terms earlier this year, and Dillon and the

remaining defendants are awaiting trial on the murder charges.

Dillon had to appear in Keeshan's Montgomery County court for

a weekend hearing because he was on probation for a 1990 burglary

in The Woodlands.

Keeshan had sentenced him to eight years on deferred

adjudication on his plea of no contest in that case. Deferred

adjudication is a form of probation in which an offender's record

is wiped clean if he successfully completes the probation.

Keeshan's Saturday ruling means that Dillon's probation is

revoked and that his record will reflect he is guilty of the

burglary.

Keeshan could have imposed the 99-year sentence that

Montgomery County prosecutors were seeking. He said he based his

verdict on evidence -- including Dillon's own confession -- that

Dillon assaulted one or both of Broussard's two companions, Richard

Delaunay and Cary Anderson.

In their motion to adjudicate on the burglary case,

prosecutors dropped an allegation that Dillon killed Broussard with

a knife after defense attorney Mark Sandoval argued there was no

proof that any one other than Buice wielded a knife during the

attack on the trio.

Keeshan noted that the 15-year sentence he assessed is

temporary, pending a presentencing investigation he will order

Monday. He said the sentence will stand unless the investigation --

which Dillon was willing to waive -- reveals something that would

prompt him to lengthen or reduce it in formal sentencing at a later

date.

Dillon could still receive a life sentence if found guilty in

Broussard's murder.

LANGUAGE: ENGLISH

LOAD-DATE: April 6, 1993

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The Houston Chronicle

January 16, 1993, Saturday, 2 STAR Edition

SECTION: A; Pg. 25

LENGTH: 57 words

HEADLINE: Sentences in gay-bashing case protested

BYLINE: Staff

BODY:

Members of Queer Nation, a gay rights group, stage a

""die-in'' Friday at a Harris County court building to protest the

15-year sentences handed down to three men in the death of gay

banker Paul Broussard. Members said the sentences were too lenient

because they thought the men would be eligible for parole in 15

months: Page 26A.

GRAPHIC: Photo: Members of Queer Nation, a gay rights group, stage a ""die-in'' Friday at a Harris County court building to protest the 15-year sentences handed down to three men in the death of gay banker Paul Broussard. Members said the sentences were too lenient because they thought the men would be eligible for parole in 15 months; John Everett/Chronicle

LANGUAGE: ENGLISH

TYPE: Photo

LOAD-DATE: January 18, 1993