3 Florida Family Members Arrested & Charged with Hate Crimes in Attempted Murder of Gay Man
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Three Broward County family members have been arrested in the kidnapping and attempted murder of a South Florida gay man and are being charged with Federal hate crimes.
Two parents and their son were formally charged Tuesday on counts of first-degree attempted murder, burglary with battery and kidnapping “with prejudice” — all charges enhanced under Florida’s “hate crime” law. That means they all face up to life in prison on each count. Charged so far are Inna Makarenko, 44, Yevhen Makarenko, 43, and Oleh Makarenko, 21, all of Pompano Beach. They have been in jail since last month, records show. They’ve already pleaded not guilty, according to court records. The family’s defense attorney did not initially respond to a request for comment.
Another son, Vladyslav Makarenko, 25, was jailed in Alabama, transferred to Broward County on Monday and is awaiting a decision from prosecutors on whether he’ll also be charged under the hate crime statute.
The Broward State Attorney’s Office did not release details of the alleged attack, and public court documents reveal little about about what happened. The victim, who is declining to be named publicly, was attacked around Aug. 6 in Pompano Beach. According to one court document, the trio brandished a “firearm or other deadly weapon” during the attack. The charges were brought by the Broward State Attorney’s Hate Crime Unit, created by State Attorney Harold Pryor earlier this year. Since the arrests, supporters of the Makarenkos have started an online petition proclaiming the family’s innocence. The page described the family as Ukrainian refugees who run successful door and interior design renovation companies. “The accusations are completely false and need to be defeated and ultimately dismissed!” the petition says.
