The mind-bendingly weird suburban Florida deaths of two GOP consultants and an ex-marine continue getting weirder. The Orange County sheriff announced yesterday that Jason Drake — the ex-marine — killed the consultants before offing himself, though they gave no explanation for his actions and Drake left no helpful note.
Ralph Gonzalez — whose story we last looked at here and here — was apparently gay, and early reports made tantalizing mention of a “love triangle,” but now it’s all just a big puzzle.
David Abrami, former political consultant, was Gonzalez’s housemate — and maybe not gay? He had a girlfriend in one story, anyway.
Drake “installed tile and wood flooring.” And they all hung out “socially and professionally to some degree” according to the Sheriff’s office.
If you want some insane speculation that we can’t actually follow, well, look here. It involves gay porn producers and “THE REPUBLICAN CLIENT LIST OF THE GAY ESCORT BUSINESS.” FUCK YEAH.
Bryan, Harlow, and “Drake” [CrimeBlog]
Police: Ex-Marine Killed Consultants, Self [Orlando Sentinel]
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I first met Rafael “Ralph” Gonzalez online in a gay men’s chatroom five or six years ago. He and I chatted online, on and off, for a few months, and then we eventually lost touch. It’s only today, December 13, 2008, that I learned of his death. I am shocked, to say the least.
I think the thing that I remembered most about him is that he was articulate and had an easy sort of humor about him. In those few months, he’d told me a great deal about himself. He’d spoken at length of his mother, of his love for travelling, and of his career. Apparently he trusted me, because he told me a good bit about his consulting firm. He talked about how made most of his money “on the back end” – namely by sending out mailings, etc. It was clear to me that Ralph really knew his stuff.
It was clear, too, that he was not out of the closet, which I always thought was a shame. That’s not to say that I think every gay person in the U.S. should publicly declare their sexual preferences; however, I think it’s a shame that families and close friends often (and quite unknowingly) cause gay people to feel that it’s not ok to be gay.
Not to bash Republicans, but those folks are hardly known for their open-mindedness or for their ability to tolerate and accept anyone who isn’t white, heterosexual, middle-to-upperclass, and Christian (-the more Christian, the “more better.”) I can only imagine what kind of “gay bashing” Ralph had to listen to, perhaps on a daily basis. And I feel bad that Ralph seemed to be himself – his true self – only with folks online and with strangers.
Ralph shared a lot with me. One time he’d told me about his ex-boyfriend Jimmy. This guy Jimmy sounded seriously sleazy – at least that’s the spin that Ralph put on him. He’d sent me Jimmy’s picture – in it, Jimmy was lying on his back,naked and exposing a tattoo. I wonder if this guy is the best that Ralph thought he could do. It’s a shame because there are many good, decent gay men out there – I think that Ralph was one of them.
Who’s to say what really happened that day in August last year? I don’t know who killed who, and really I think, right now, it’s a moot point. However, there’s something about this guy Drake that reminds me of Ralph’s ex-boyfriend Jimmy. Am I saying that they’re the same person? No, but I am suggesting that they are perhaps the same type of person. This is probably unfair of me, so I’ll back off. Knowing what I know about gays and the gay community, it’s not uncommon for an older, successful gay man to have a “steady” boyfriend, but also to have a much younger “boytoy” on the side.
I think it’s a shame that these three lives ended in tragedy. I think it’s also a shame that good people, like Ralph Gonzalez, couldn’t live more openly, more intentionally.
Ralph, may you rest in peace. I am sorry that your life is over. I believe that you’re in a far better place, and I believe that you’re in a far better position to watch over your friends, family, and loved ones.
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