White man killed prison cellmate because he was Black and gay, prosecutors allege

Author: Donald Padgett

Prosecutors say a white incarcerated man in Wisconsin said he achieved “ecstasy” when he killed his cellmate because the man was Black and gay.

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Jackson Vogel, 24, was charged with first-degree intentional homicide with hate crime and repeat offender penalty enhancers for the alleged murder of Micah Laureano, 19, on August 27 at the Green Bay Correctional Institute, the Associated Press reported.

Guards were conducting patrols around 9:30 p.m. at the state prison when they noticed paper blocking the view into the cell shared by Vogel and Laureano, according to charging documents in the case. When Vogel complied with the guard’s order to remove the paper, Laureano’s body was revealed hanging from the upper bunk with his hands and feet bound.

Prosecutors claim Vogel confessed to the crime, saying he killed Laureano because he was bored and his new cellmate “checked all the boxes” by being Black and gay, according to the AP. Vogel said he struck Laureano, knocking him unconscious, then bound him by the hands and feet before strangling him to death.

Vogel also reportedly told authorities he often thought of killing people and the act of strangling Laureano created a feeling of “ecstasy” for him. Investigators also found a note written by Vogel reading “Kill all humans” along with other racist and anti-gay rhetoric, the news wire reports.

Vogel was behind bars following his arrest for stabbing, strangling, and attempting to snap the neck of his mother when he was 16. He was convicted and sentenced to 40 years in jail in that case, which had recently been upheld upon appeal.

Original Article on The Advocate
Author: Donald Padgett