WEST DEER, Pa. — The two people accused of luring a Hispanic man to their West Deer home and beating him were in court for the first time Wednesday.
George Palmer and Hope Gorham, both 32, are charged with ethnic intimidation, aggravated assault, robbery and conspiracy in the May 9 incident.
Police say Palmer and Gorham lured the victim from a New Kensington bar to their house in West Deer, where he thought they were going to party. Instead, he was allegedly beaten by a group of men with anarchy and swastika tattoos who yelled racial slurs at him.
The victim was later found wandering in the street with a black eye and no shoes by a police officer.
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Wednesday's hearing had to be postponed because the victim didn't show up. Channel 11 also learned police can't find the victim because he gave them a fake name.
"I'm denying everything, I'm saying that this victim is 100 percent a liar," said Patrick Nightingale, Palmer's attorney. "This is not a situation where they met a random individual, invited him home to party and then four skinheads jumped him and beat the hell out of him, that did not happen."
The hearing was rescheduled for two weeks. Nightingale told Channel 11 if the victim doesn't show up again and police still can't find him, he believes the charges against his client will be dropped.
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