California IN BRIEF : SAN JOSE : Videotape Shown in Hate-Crime Trial

A videotape was played in court at the opening of the trial of a teen-ager accused of beating a gay neighbor, who recorded the alleged hate crime with a camera in his home. “This is an extremely ugly case. This is a case about hatred and about violence,” Deputy District Atty. Jacqueline Arroyo said in the juvenile court trial. Part of the 45-minute videotape, taken June 11 by the victim, William Kiley, shows the youth, then 17, challenging Kiley to a fight as Kiley watered a lawn. Kiley, 44, refused and once doused the youth with water. The teen-ager attacked, hitting him with fists and feet until his mother called him off. Although the sound is murky, the teen-ager is heard to call Kiley anti-gay epithets. The video ends with Kiley in front of the camera, showing the damage--black eyes, a broken nose, cuts and bruises. Defense attorney John McCardle has said the incident was simply a neighborhood dispute that escalated. The teen-ager, who is now 18, faces three felony charges under a “hate crime” statute.