Oregon Man Gets 12 Years in Federal Prison for Hate-Motivated Attack on Victim He Met on a Dating App

LANE COUNTY, Ore. — A 26-year-old Springfield man, who violently attacked and seriously injured someone he met on a gay dating app, was yesterday (Tuesday) sentenced to more than 12,5 years in federal prison.

Daniel Andrew McGee pleaded guilty to one count of a federal hate crime for assaulting a victim on the basis of their sexual orientation.

The Attack was Premeditated and Brutal

McGee’s attack was premeditated.

An investigation revealed that McGee had been planning and researching the attack for weeks, searching the internet for graphically violent, homophobic material.

The assault took place on the evening of July 5, 2021, when McGee arrived at his victim’s apartment after communicating on Grindr, a dating app primarily used by gay men.

According to court documents, McGee assaulted his victim in an attack lasting several minutes. He struck him on the head with a wooden tire thumper and also tried to gouge out his eyes.

His victim sustained serious head wounds, as well as other life-threatening injuries.

According to court documents, McGee’s planned attack was methodical. He purchased the wooden tire thumper from Amazon and searched the internet for suggestions on how to get away with murder.

McGee was sentenced to 151 months in federal prison and five years of supervised release.

U.S. District Attorney Says Oregon Remains Committed to Combating Hate Crimes

U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon, Scott E. Bradford, states in a news release that living safely in a community “is a fundamental civil right,” and that Oregon remains committed to combating hate crimes.

“While no conviction can undo the harm caused, we hope this sentence will bring some measure of justice to the victim and our community,” says Bradford.

The case was investigated by the FBI and the Eugene Police Department. The case was prosecuted by the Oregon District U.S. Assistant Attorney, Joseph Huynh, and  the Trial Attorney for the Civil Rights Division Criminal Section was Tenette Smith.