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| Luis Villafane was convicted of murdering gay D.C. resident Michael Kainer last year. |
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A 20-year-old gay man from Philadelphia, who pleaded guilty last December to
the June 2003 stabbing death of D.C. accountant Michael Kainer, was scheduled
to be sentenced Friday in D.C. Superior Court. Luis Villafane acknowledged working
for a gay male escort service in Philadelphia at the time he confessed to killing
Kainer inside Kainer’s carriage house apartment on the 100 block of U Street,
NW. The stabbing occurred hours before the two were scheduled to fly to California
to buy a stash of illegal drugs, which Kainer, who was gay, planned to sell in
D.C., according to police and court documents. Police sources said Villafane
and Kainer met through the D.C. gay club scene and became friends, but Kainer
was not believed to be one of Villafane’s escort customers. Villafane’s
lawyer argued in a court hearing last year that Villafane committed the murder
in an “act of passion” after Kainer and two other men allegedly drugged
and gang raped him. Friends of Kainer’s dispute this allegation, calling
Kainer a peaceful man who would never have committed a rape. Police said Villafane
stole $40,000 in cash and an expensive plasma television from Kainer’s
apartment after the stabbing. Investigators listed robbery as the motive for
the killing, saying Villafane made plans to buy a car and rent a place in Florida
beforehand, indicating he had plotted the murder in advance. A spokesperson for
the United States Attorney’s office said prosecutors reduced the charge
against Villafane from first-degree to second-degree murder, in exchange for
a guilty plea, after determining it would be difficult to obtain a conviction
on first-degree murder. Villafane was set to appear before Superior Court Judge
Robert Richter at 9:30 a.m. Friday, where he faces a possible maximum sentence
of 40 years in prison.
LOU CHIBBARO JR.
A coalition of gay and straight nightclub and bar owners said the D.C. Council
made improvements but did not go far enough this week in easing restrictions
on businesses that promote a vibrant nightlife atmosphere in the city. The
Council passed a bill on April 20 ratifying a series of regulations aimed
at implementing the city’s alcoholic beverage control law. The Council
action followed a lengthy process of deliberations in which D.C. nightlife
enthusiasts became a vocal force for reforming what they said was a process
stacked in favor of a small group of civic activists who have long opposed
neighborhood based clubs offering dancing or live entertainment. D.C. Council
member Sharon Ambrose (D-Ward 6), whose Council committee crafted the legislation
and regulations, called the bill a balanced compromise between citizens who
want quiet neighborhoods and those who want lively entertainment zones integrated
into residential areas. Among other things, the bill removed a mini-referendum
process, which allowed neighborhood opponents to vote on whether to allow
a bar or nightclub to receive a license to operate, regardless of whether
they had evidence the business would cause harm to the area. But the bill
did not include provisions sought by nightlife advocates that would provide
specific protections for music, dancing and other forms of entertainment
in neighborhood restaurants or clubs. “The Council’s action has
initiated an ongoing process of restoring common-sense to the law, and the
ABC Board now has the tools to adjudicate in favor of establishments despite
the opposition of nightlife opponents,” said Mark Lee, owner of the
D.C. gay dance party Lizard Lounge and a nightlife advocate.
LOU CHIBBARO JR.
Following the lead of their gay congressional peers on the House side, a group
of Senate staffers has created a professional association to further promote
gay visibility across Capitol Hill. The idea for GLASS, Gays, Lesbians & Allies
Senate Staff, came shortly after federal lawmakers proposed a constitutional
amendment barring gay marriage, but the nonpartisan group has pledged to
remain social and educational in nature. “We hope that this caucus
will serve as a catalyst for transforming the Senate’s culture to a
more inclusive and open environment by bringing together people to share
experiences,” said co-founder Lynden Armstrong, a staffer for New Mexico
Sen. Pete Domenici, a prominent Republican. In 1993, gay House employees
formed their own alliance, the Lesbian & Gay Congressional Staff Association,
after several members of Congress announced that they would not employ gays
in their offices. Since then, the House group has been registered as a formal
association of the House and has hosted regular receptions and “brown-bag” lunch
events featuring prominent lobbyists and politicians. The GLASS Caucus hopes
to emulate LGCSA’s success. “We’ve had a high degree of
invisibility because there hasn’t been a Senate ...
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