Today, Judge David Rosenberg of the Yolo Superior Court will decide whether there is enough evidence for Clayton Garzon to stand trial for the March 10 beating of Lawrence “Mikey” Partida on I Street. Authorities have classified the beating as a hate crime.
According the The Davis Enterprise, Garzon pleaded not guilty to multiple charges against him, including felony counts of assault, battery and criminal threats. All the charges additionally carry hate crime enhancements.
Witnesses have testified that Garzon yelled out what appeared to be homophobic slurs at Partida and his cousin Vanessa Turner. However, according to The Davis Enterprise, defense witness Brigham Young University linguistics expert William Eggington said that such slurs tend to be used to challenge masculinity and aren’t always used in terms of homophobia.
Partida was hospitalized for two weeks after the beating, suffering fractures to his skull and rib cage, and undergoing surgery to remove a piece of wood from his right eye socket.
Garzon’s arraignment is arranged for May 31.
— Claire Tan
