Gay man mercilessly stabbed to death outside bar while on a date night
From left to right: Jake Stone and his partner Christopher Finley. (Danika Cervantes/Jacob Touchstone/GoFundMe)
A man has been charged in connection to stabbing a gay man to death and injuring his partner after leaving an LGBTQ+ bar on a date night.
Christopher Finley and his partner Jake Stone were stabbed after intervening in an argument outside LGBTQ+ bar Mineshaft in Long Beach, California, on 9 September.
The incident occurred at around 11.45pm after the two victims attempted to disarm a man with a taser outside the bar.
Long Beach Post News reported that a man allegedly rode up on a bicycle and attacked the pair.
The local police department’s spokesperson, Richard Mejia, said the attacker fled before police arrived.
Authorities rushed the couple to hospital where Finley, 28, later died.
Finley was an LA-based makeup artist, and, since his death, his Instagram account has been flooded with messages of condolence.
A comment on his latest post, dated 10 August, reads: “I am heartbroken. I’m so thankful for the times we had. I won’t forget you angel. Rest easy.”
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Following the attack Stone told Long Beach Post News: “Chris was my other half.”
“Neither of us knew life without each other. He was the love of my life, my soulmate.”
A 56-year-old Long Beach man has been charged in connection with the fatal stabbing.
Michael Smalls faces murder and attempted murder charges.
Following his failure to appear in court for his initial arraignment, the judge has upped his bail from $2 million to $3 million.
After the attack, owners of the bar, Jeff and Rhonda Daring, took to Facebook to share the news “with a heavy heart”.
Friends of the pair have launched a fundraiser to pay for the couples medical bills and lay Chris to rest.
A total of $50,000 is set as the goal, with an incredible 685 donations having been made so far, bringing the raised total to more than $43,600,
The attack comes after 24-year-old gay man Emmanuel Mouers was stabbed to death in South Africa after an argument over which bathroom he should use.
According to police figures anti-LGBTQ+ violence in the UK is rising at a record-breaking rate.
