Supremacists found liable in Temecula hate crime

By: JOHN HALL - Staff Writer | Wednesday, August 22, 2007 11:01 PM PDT ∞

A federal jury has issued a million-dollar judgment in favor of a Temecula man who sued six members of a white supremacist gang who attacked him at a party near Lake Skinner more than eight years ago.

Civil suits had been filed against the six men found criminally liable as well as some of their family members, whom the injured man's attorney calls supporters of the skinhead group.

Attorneys on both sides say verdicts against family members in a case like this are very unusual.

Randy Wordell Bowen, 31, who is black, was beaten and slashed during a 1999 St. Patrick's Day party in a rural area known as Murdock's, east of Temecula. Bowen was first hit from behind while near a bonfire, then slashed across his back with a sharp object that was never found and chased as his attackers yelled racial slurs.

Bowen ran for about a half mile in the dark before finally getting help at a ranch. One resident there called 911 and another went outside with a shotgun to chase away the large group chasing Bowen.

Six members of the Western Hammerskins were ultimately sent to prison in connection with the attack.

In March 2002, Travis Miskam, of Menifee, was sentenced to 20 years and Jesse Douglas, of Temecula, received a 14-year sentence. Both were convicted by a Riverside County jury. Miskam received a longer sentence because of a previous felony conviction and prosecutors say Douglas was the one who slashed Bowen.

A year earlier, three Temecula men, Jason McCully, Daniel Butler and Gregory McDaniel each agreed to four-year sentences. Alan Yantis agreed to a 10-year sentence in October 2001.

At the sentencing of Miskam and Douglas, a Riverside County Superior Court judge said the crime against the unarmed Bowen was unprovoked and done with "a high degree of cruelty and viciousness."

Last week, a jury in Los Angeles returned verdicts in a federal suit filed under the "Ku Klux Klan Act" as well as California civil right laws.

According to Andrew Roth, who represented Bowen in the federal suits, damages awarded in the case total $5.6 million.

A total of $4.9 million in punitive damages and an additional $685,931 in compensatory damages have been awarded, Roth said. The totals include the $1.2 million verdict last week in Los Angeles.

"It took a very long time to get to this point," Roth said. "This was a long, tortuous litigation."

Roth says both the outcome of the criminal case and civil verdicts send strong messages.

"In the mid- and late-1990s, the Western Hammerskins were grabbing a foothold in the Hemet and Temecula areas," he said.

"The criminal case certainly made a difference and our civil case put people on notice that if you foster this sort of activity, you can face civil liability," Roth said of the family members found liable.

"Hopefully it puts a stop to people actively supporting this ... thinking it is cute," Roth added.

However, the attorney who represented those who were sued says the civil verdicts say something entirely different.

"This just sends the wrong message" to parents who may be having trouble with their children -- even adult children -- after finding out they are involved in something negative or hanging out with the wrong people, Thomas Gruenbeck said.

"This tells parents, don't try to help your kids resolve their problems, just get rid of them right away -- kick them out of the house," Gruenbeck said.

If you don't do that as a parent, he adds, you could end up civilly liable for keeping them around.

Gruenbeck used the parents of Gregory McDaniel as an example. He said they tried to encourage their son, doing things such as rewarding him when he did the right thing and taking him to church with them.

"And for all their hard work as parents, they get slammed with a $350,000 judgment," Gruenbeck said.

The attorney was quick to point out that, just because jury verdicts have been rendered, Bowen cannot suddenly start collecting money.

"This case is far from over," he said.

Gruenbeck now has a chance to show a federal judge why he believes Bowen's side did not adequately prove there was a conspiracy. And, depending on the outcome of that, both sides in the case can still appeal the decisions made by the jury or the judge.

Gruenbeck said it could be three or four months before it gets to the point of any possible appeals.

"There still remain some serious issues and concerns regarding the viability of the plaintiff's claims," he said of Bowen's civil suit.

"The plaintiff has to show there is an agreement to conspire," Gruenbeck said. "I don't believe there was any evidence of any express agreement to do anything here."

He said there was evidence presented at the trial that family members knew those involved with the white supremacist group had tattoos that should have tipped them off.

There was also evidence that a computer in a family home was used to create a Western Hammerskin newsletter and that the parents should have been aware of that activity as well, Gruenbeck said.

And the argument was that, by doing nothing to stop it, they joined in the conspiracy, Gruenbeck said.

"The plaintiff's theory was that (the family members) 'acquiesced' to it," he added.

Roth contends that those family members sued were "very active" in the actions of those involved in the Hammerskins.

"We were not just suing for the violent crime committed against Randy, but it is also because of the conspiracy to deprive him of his rights," Roth said.

Bowen could not be reached for comment about the recent civil verdicts. Bowen and his wife just had a baby, Roth said.

"He feels a lot better now that this part is over," Roth said of his client. Bowen underwent almost two years of psychological counseling after being attacked, the attorney said.

"He still has some pain where he was stabbed and slashed, but he is doing better," Roth said.

-- Contact staff writer John Hall at (951) 676-4315, Ext. 2628, or jhall@californian.com.

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The Wizard of Oz wrote on Aug 23, 2007 1:18 AM:Yeah right, now try to collect, these [people] will never have any money.

oh brother wrote on Aug 23, 2007 7:33 AM:they rewarded their great big skinheaded baby for making a GOOD choice instead of bad one. Maybe they gave hims some homebaked cookies and milk or something. In the mid nineties my teenage daughter spent the night at a family's home in glen oaks area. the 18 year old son had a hammerskin party with a big old bonfire on the property that night. parents were home. she was terrified. he is still out there. not incarcarated and spreading this theology in the valley. probably still living with his parents. they taught him this loveliness.

Roland wrote on Aug 23, 2007 8:21 AM:I am so glad to read of this verdict and to see that those who support and contributed to this crime were held accountable. I have absolutely no sympathy for the parents; "you have to be taught to hate" and they have culpability. I wonder if the church that they took their son to was one of the fundie churches that teach hate and intolerance as part of their version of the Gospel. The KKK also went to church and deacons and elders were members.

Concerned-1 wrote on Aug 23, 2007 8:27 AM:I have zero tolerance for this kind of stuff. While parents can't control exactly how a child will turn out, they certainly influence it. These kids obviously didn't know right from wrong and that's falls right to the parents. Duh!

WOW wrote on Aug 23, 2007 8:55 AM:I THINK THAT WHAT THESE GUYS DID WAS A SICK THING, BUT WHAT PEOPLE DONT UNDERSTAND IS THAT THESE BOYS ARE BRAIN WASHED! I WENT TO SCHOOL WITH SOME OF THE GUYS WHO DID THIS AND I CAN SAY THAT NIGHT WAS A SAD ONE I CAN SAY A LOT MORE THINGS CAUSE I WAS THERE. SO WATCH YOUR COMMENTS!! YOU DONT KNOW WHAT YOUR TALKING ABOUT.

Good news, bad news wrote on Aug 23, 2007 9:41 AM:Good news = conviction. Bad news = You know they won't have any money to pay up.

Gimme a Break wrote on Aug 23, 2007 9:42 AM:Obviously the jury was voting on emotion and not common sense. The family will win on appeal. While I empathize with the victim and the trauma he went through, to say the family, who were at home and had no idea what their sons were doing at that party, conspired and planned with them to attack that specific victim at that specific time is ludicris. Weather the family shared the same ideaology or not, these punks did what they did by themselves and made their decision and committed the offense on their own. I think this is a lawyer stretching the law and throwing any theory out there to make more money and he won, so I guess more power to him. Now an appeals lawyer needs to step in and speak common sense to a judge who will see it the way it should be. At some point, personal responsibilty needs to be taken, parents cannot be held responsible for their ADULT children.

Alive and well wrote on Aug 23, 2007 9:59 AM:racism is, I hope this story gets alot of blogs from angry americans who are appuald by these hate crimes. If it was a hispanic gang that did this, there would have been already about 50 blogs from all the usual so called "anti-illegal" clan. I feel very bad for the guy in this story and for anyone else who has been treated like this because of their race or immigration status, sex gender or whatever. It is a crime against humanity.

to WOW wrote on Aug 23, 2007 10:00 AM:If you know more....do tell! Did you come forward and tell what you knew to the police? I hope so.

So Cal Native wrote on Aug 23, 2007 11:10 AM:To WOW-These parents I am sure came from another state that applauds actions like this and that is why they are held accountable because, this is what they taught there children. I remember when there was nothing east of the I15 or south of I215. When all those homes went up, the majority came from out of state. The Hammerskins need to get their behinds out of the state because, nobody wants you here period!

quinnie wrote on Aug 23, 2007 12:07 PM:in prison, they'll see how much of an asset they are to their race. no pun intended.

Skip wrote on Aug 23, 2007 12:51 PM:I tried to do some research on this so called gang to see just how big they are. Even on the Southern Poverty law website there is little information on their numbers. I am going to take a wild guess that for the entire United States, there are a hundrred or so members, if that. Why heck, there are more gang members in Oceanside then that.

concerned wrote on Aug 23, 2007 1:04 PM:To allow such cruel behaviour from any "organization" to continue while we all are aware of it would be ignorance on our our part. Our politician/leaders need to "nip" this now. The I.E stives to be a family oriented community with the hope for a better future for our children, certainly not to be disruppted by people stuck in the past.

All our thanks wrote on Aug 23, 2007 1:08 PM:I applude the residents at the ranch where Boden ran for safty. They were brave to even open their door to something so horrendus. They didn't know how many skinheads were out there or even if they would be attacked themselves. Kudos to the resident calling 911 & to the other resident who came out with a shotgun to protect an absolute stranger. So many people today don't want to get "involved". They deserve all of our gratitude.

Alex wrote on Aug 23, 2007 6:38 PM:Sure it was wrong for assaulting Bowen. But it's also wrong for his attorney to claim the parents are culpable for the wrongs committed by their adult children.Judges are supposed to apply statutes of law to their case but not MAKE new laws. Minority groups have become the proverbial squeaky wheel while judges the oil just to make their mark in history.

Curious wrote on Aug 23, 2007 8:11 PM:I may have missed it but ... how old were the 'kids' when they committed the crime? If they were minors at the time then that explains why the parents would be held liable and accountable.

The Wizard of Oz wrote on Aug 23, 2007 9:46 PM:Maybe Wow needs to be locked up too.

WOW wrote on Aug 24, 2007 9:52 AM:I DO NOT THINK WHAT THESE GUYS DID IS AT ALL GOOD THEY ARE WRONG AND BAD PEOPLE! I THINK ITS SAD HOW PEOPLE GET BRAIN WASHED INTO BELIEVING SUCH CRAP! THERE WERE OVER 150 PEOPLE THERE ALL OF THEM INCLUDING MYSELF HAD TO GIVE INFO. SO IF YOU THINK YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO SAY I SHOULD BE LOCKED UP YOUR ALSO TALKING ABOUT 150 KIDS OF ALL DIFFERENT SEXES AND RACE! SOUNDS TO ME LIKE YOU "WIZARD OF OZ" NEED TO STOP LIVIN YOUR LIFE IN A DISNEY MOVIE! IVE LIVED IN TEMECULA FOR 20 YEARS, SO I KNOW WHAT THIS TOWN WAS MADE UP OF. IF ANYONE DID THIS TO ME I WOULD DO THE EXACT SAME THING!THESE GUYS WERNT ALL MINORS THE PARENTS OF THE ADULTS ARE THE ONES PAYING. IM JUST GLAD THAT MR.BOWEN WASNT KILLED HE IS A FRIEND OF MINE TOO.

Modern wrote on Aug 24, 2007 9:57 AM:This was an unproveked incident. They deserved what they got, brainwashed or not.

No Name wrote on Aug 28, 2007 8:18 PM:Since then Alan Yantis has become a physical trainer at a temecula fitness club, and last i heard of Daniel Butler he was doing home framing and taxes. I guess these are as bad guys after all.

Throw away the key wrote on Sep 1, 2007 11:11 AM:We hope they throw away the key on these guys. They make everyone afraid. They could be someone standng just outside the mall waiting to attack anyone. Please keep anyone connected to any group like this off our streets. There are enough criminals out there. We don't need any more people that promote hate. Good for the L.A. courts procicutor. He did a great job while working on this case for 9 years.

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