On May 16, 2007, 20-year-old Sean Kennedy was leaving a nightclub where he had spent the evening with his friends. As he was leaving the club, he was confronted by a group of men in a vehicle. An altercation occurred between Sean and one of the men in the car, Stephen Moller, who exited the car, yelled a homophobic slur at Sean and then punched Sean in the face causing Sean to fall backwards and hit his head on the concrete curb. Stephen, along with his friends then fled the scene, leaving Sean to die.
Sources:
“Remembering Sean William Kennedy (1987-2007)”, Unfinished Lives, April 8, 2010, https://unfinishedlivesblog.com/2010/04/08/remembering-sean-william-kennedy-1987-2007/, accessed June 9, 2025.
Sprinkle Stephen V., “The Death and Life of Sean Kennedy: A Commemoration”, Unfinished Lives, May 17, 2009, https://unfinishedlivesblog.com/2009/05/17/the-death-and-life-of-sean-kennedy-a-commemoration/, accessed June 9, 2025.
Kennedy, Elke, “Remembering My Son 10 Years After a Hate Crime Took His Life”, Advocate, May 16, 2017, https://www.advocate.com/commentary/2017/5/16/remembering-my-son-10-years-after-hate-crime-took-his-life#toggle-gdpr, accessed June 9, 2025.
“Sean William Kennedy”, Find A Grave, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/27871515/sean_william-kennedy, accessed June 9, 2025.
“Defendant In Gay Man's Death Gets 2.5 Year Sentence”, WYFF4, June 13, 2008, https://www.wyff4.com/article/defendant-in-gay-man-s-death-gets-2-5-year-sentence/6986701, accessed June 9, 2025.
Landrum, Cindy, “Remembering Sean Kennedy, 10 years after his tragic death”, Greenville Journal, May 22, 2017, https://greenvillejournal.com/news/remembering-sean-kennedy-10-years-tragic-death/, accessed June 9, 2025.
“Researching Hate Crimes & Hate Crime Legislation: The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009”, Pence Law Library, April 28, 2025, https://wcl.american.libguides.com/hatecrimes/shepardbyrdact, accessed June 9, 2025.
CJ, “S.16 Ep.14 The Murder of Sean Kennedy”, Beyond the Rainbow Podcast, Rainbowcrimes, Jan 28, 2025, https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/s-16-ep-14-the-murder-of-sean-kennedy/id1476793938?i=1000686125589.
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