By Jeff Kunerth | Sentinel Staff Writer
March 2, 2008
A documentary on the killing of a 25-year-old gay man in Polk County almost a year ago will premiere Monday at Rollins College, part of a crusade by his parents to raise awareness of anti-gay violence in Florida.
The 72-minute film details the death of Ryan Keith Skipper on March 17, 2007. Polk County deputies labeled the assault a hate crime after the two men arrested said he was killed because he was gay.
But the documentary challenges statements by Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, who initially said Skipper was killed after cruising for sex and picking up the wrong person at the wrong time. Skipper's friends and roommates said he was abducted, stabbed more than 20 times, and had his throat slit and his body dumped on the side of the road after being targeted by the two men arrested in his killing.
William Brown Jr., who was 20 at the time, faces trial in June. Joseph Bearden, who was 21, is scheduled for trial in September.
The documentary details the life and death of Skipper but also deals with what it describes as the societal forces that encourage homophobia and violence against gays and lesbians. Proceeds from sales of DVDs of the documentary, Accessory to Murder, will go to an anti-hate-crime educational fund established in Skipper's name by his parents, Patricia and Lynn Mulder.
The film was produced by Vicki Nantz, a 48-year-old independent producer who spent 16 years in local TV.
"I wanted people to care about what happened to Ryan," Nantz said. "This documentary just sets the stage for further discussion about how our culture demonizes segments of society and marginalizes people until they are victimized in this way."
The documentary will be shown at 7 p.m. in Bush Auditorium. A panel discussion by gay-rights activists will follow the film.
Jeff Kunerth can be reached at jkunerth@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5392.
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