Man Sentenced in Drugging, Raping, and Murder of Gay Men

Posted on | January 28, 2006

Here is a lovely little reminder of why you should always keep track of your drinks and only accept drinks from people you trust or the bartender.

On Friday forty-six year-old Steven Lorenzo was sentenced in federal court in Florida to 200 years in prison for drugging, kidnapping, torturing and raping nine men. Two of the victims, Jason Galehouse and Michael Wachholtz, both twenty-six were also murdered and Lorenzo will be facing state charges on what I hope to be capital murder as well.

One thing I will never understand about criminals is their stupid need to document their crimes. Lorenzo apparently documented his little escapades, including the murders, with his digital camera as police found thousands of photos. With that and the forensic evidence, such as Wachholtz’s blood under the garage floor, Lorenzo is pretty much toast.

Lorenzo also had an accomplice, Scott Schweickert from Chicago who testified at the trial and will be facing similar charges himself.

Cases like this highlight everyone’s need to be careful at the bars. Here are a few tips:

Always keep an eye on your drink. It only takes a second for someone to drop something in it. If you need to put it down for some reason and cannot leave it with people you trust, then slam it or abandon it.
If some one you do not know or trust wants to buy you a drink, accept it only from the bar staff.
If you are not leaving with friends, then do not drink.
Trust your gut, if something feels wrong it probably is.

External Links:

South Florida Sun-Sentinel - Suspect in 3 Fort Lauderdale disappearances gets 200 years in 9 Tampa rapes

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Comments

2 Responses to “Man Sentenced in Drugging, Raping, and Murder of Gay Men”

Joe Brummer
January 28th, 2006 @ 5:26 pm

Wow, great advice. It is important for gays and lesbians to be careful…Learn street safety as well. The last time I got bashed, I walked out of a bar and got body slammed to the ground by a bunch of kids. Busted my collar bone. If I had looked around when I got out the door, I might have seen it coming, but I didn’t. Stay Safe!
Eddie Newkirk
February 27th, 2006 @ 5:13 pm

Just came across this site, thanks for being involved enough to warn people of the evil that lurks in our own society. My best friend Mark D. Jackson happens to be one of the 3 missing men from the Fort Lauderdale - Drake Tower condominiums. My belief is that this creep may have lured him through the internet with fake credentials. The INTERNET in my opinion is VERY VERY dangerous. I heard some very horrible stories of internet “hook-ups” as we call them in the gay world. None of them are probably as horrific as what might have happened to my friend. Unless “Lorenzo” decides to confess we will NEVER know. Everyone think twice before you meet up with an internet “Stud”. At least let someone know you are doing it, and ALWAYS meet in a public place if you must. Such meetings have proven to sometimes be a matter of life or death.