COUNCIL GROVE, Kan. (AP) The lawyer for a 23-year-old Kansas man accused of dousing a black man with rubbing alcohol and setting him on fire says he doubts the crime constitutes a federal hate crime.
Fifty-four-year-old Sterling Law suffered second-degree burns to his stomach and upper legs during the Oct. 7 attack at his home in Council Grove, about 65 miles southwest of the Kansas capital of Topeka.
The U.S. attorney’s office in Kansas has been reviewing the case to determine if the crime is racially motivated, triggering federal hate crime charges.
Isaac Wilson faces Morris County charges, including aggravated assault and aggravated burglary. His lawyer, Don Krueger, told The Emporia Gazette that he “seriously doubts” his client committed a hate crime.
