Man searched ‘how to get away with murder’ before attack on gay man in Oregon, feds say

An Oregon man was charged with a federal hate crime after he used a dating app to target and assault a gay man, the Department of Justice said in a news release.

According to court documents, Daniel Andrew McGee met his victim using Grindr, a popular dating app primarily used by gay men.

The two agreed to meet on July 5 at the victim’s apartment, where McGee assaulted the victim with a wooden club for several minutes as the victim pleaded for him to stop, the release said.

At around 11:30 that night, police responded to calls for assistance from someone else in the area, who said they heard the victim screaming for help during an altercation. Officers from the Eugene Police Department entered the victim’s apartment and found him and McGee, court documents said.

The victim sustained life-threatening injuries, including serious head wounds, and was transported to a local hospital for treatment. McGee was found covered in the victim’s blood, but did not seem to sustain any injuries himself, court documents said.

McGee told police that he went to the victim’s apartment because he believed there were “demons” there that he needed to “slay,” court documents said. When asked by police if he had targeted the victim because he is gay, McGee said, “No, he’s a demon!”

Investigators found that In the weeks leading up to the attack, McGee searched for and viewed violent homophobic material online, including videos of other attacks on gay people, the release said. He also used the internet to plan the assault and to purchase the weapon.

His search history included numerous searches on how to get away with murder and how murderers avoid getting caught, investigators said. Some of his searches also included terms like “are homophobic people gay,” “how to overcome homosexuality” and “pray the gay away,” court documents said.

When the victim returned to his apartment after being discharged from the hospital, he found a bag in his bathroom that didn’t belong to him, court documents said. Police officers retrieved the bag and discovered it contained knives, cleaning products and other items.

McGee was arrested on Nov. 15 by the FBI and is currently detained as he awaits further court proceedings, the release said.

This story was originally published November 16, 2021 at 3:09 PM with the headline "Man searched ‘how to get away with murder’ before attack on gay man in Oregon, feds say."