A judge who said he gave a murderer a lighter sentence because his two victims were homosexual was condemned by gay and civil-rights groups and even drew a critical comment from the convicted killer.

"Everybody's life is worth the same amount, no matter what they are," Richard Lee Bednarski told WFAA-TV Monday.State District Judge Jack Hampton, who sentenced the 18-year-old killer to 30 years in prison Nov. 28 for the execution-style slayings of two men, told the Dallas Times Herald last week he didn't give Bednarski the maximum life sentence because his victims were gay.

"These two guys that got killed wouldn't have been killed if they hadn't been cruising the streets picking up teenage boys," Hampton said. "I don't much care for queers cruising the streets picking up teenage boys. I've got a teenage boy."

Join the Conversation
Looking for comments?
Find comments in their new home! Click the buttons at the top or within the article to view them — or use the button below for quick access.