Note that in Florida (as in most places) hate crime laws are just sentencing enhancements. It is not possible to enhance the penalty for first degree murder, so the notion that this was a hate crime is irrelevant.

BARTOW -- A grand jury this afternoon indicted Joseph Eli Bearden, 21, and William David Brown Jr., 20, on charges of first-degree murder and robbery with a deadly weapon in the death of Wahneta resident Ryan Skipper, 25.

The pair could face the death penalty if convicted of the brutal stabbing and robbery of Skipper, whose body was found by a passing motorist at 1:20 a.m. on March 14, near the crossroads of Morgan Road and Logan Lane.

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An arraignment date has not been set yet, according to the State Attorney’s Office. Both men are being held without bail.

(Bartow, Florida) Two men charged with the brutal murder of a gay Winter Haven man have been ordered held without bail following a brief court appearance.

William David Brown Jr., 20, and Joseph Bearden, 21, are charged with first-degree murder and armed robbery in the killing of Ryan Keith Skipper, 25.

The prosecutor said he expects to argue for the maximum sentence on the grounds the killing was a hate crime.

Police had originally begun investigating the murder as a robbery gone wrong until associates of the accused said that Skipper had been killed after coming on to the men.

Skipper's body was found last week on the side of a road. He had been stabbed more than 20 times.

Police said Skipper was driving through Eloise on Tuesday night looking to pick someone up, which was how he met Bearden.

However, longtime friends of his said Sunday night that Skipper was popular, never having to go out of his way to meet people and did not pick up hitchhikers.

After meeting, according to investigators, the two returned to Skipper's home and smoked marijuana while discussing using Skipper's laptop for check fraud.

Skipper's roommate said he did not own a laptop, and that he has stayed away from drugs since his arrests for marijuana possession in 1999 and 2001.

Sarasota Herald Tribune -- Authorities are investigating the killing of a central Florida man as a hate crime after interviews with people who knew him revealed he was gay, officials said.

William David Brown Jr., 20, and Joseph Bearden, 21, were being held without bond in the Polk County Jail Saturday after being charged with first degree murder in connection to Ryan Keith Skipper's death, authorities said.

They are also charged with the armed robbery of Skipper's car and computer. If convicted of murder, the two men would be eligible for the death penalty under Florida law.

The body of the 25-year-old Winter Haven man was found on a rural road in Wahneta early Wednesday morning, said Polk County Sheriff's spokeswoman Donna Wood. He had been stabbed about 20 times, she said.

A witness came forward and said Skipper was killed because he made an advance toward Brown, Wood said.