Complete comment here

As for whether this is a hate crime ... the facts reported would lead me to ask a whole lot more questions before making that determination. It would seem an initial element would be the hate (or rage) portion of the crime, of which I've heard no hint in the reporting. In addition, it appears that the participants that evening (including the perpetrator and victim) were all drunk, suggesting that neither their reporting nor their perceptions were 100 percent liable. I also find the victim's actions confusing in the context of a hate crime - personally, I think I would get the hell out of Dodge if someone truly attempted to burn me up in a fit of rage against my (supposed) religious or ethnic background, yet the girl apparently wanted to stay and party more. (This might be a reflection of the previous question about the reliability of drunken actions.) It's understandable that most of us are oversensitive to the question of 'hate crimes' given our previous history here, but I think it's a shame that people are willing to jump to conclusions regarding three people whose previous reputations suggest nothing that would make the suggested improper behavior a likelihood -- Trish Gannon.

Related: Light sentence angers family: Judge says girl tossed into fire wasn't victim of hate crime/Bill Morlin, Spokesman-Review

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