Man who beat sister's black lover with a bat dodges hate crime charges

May 2024 ยท 4 minute read

A Washington man who beat his sister's lover with a baseball bat in a racially motivated January attack dodged hate crime charges Monday because the victim has no recollection of the violent incident.

Julian Tuimauga, 18, appeared in a King County Courtroom in Kent where he was happily freed from the hate crime charges against him.

Tuimauga took a baseball bat to Dashawn Horne, 26, the morning of January 18 after the brother became upset that Horne - a black man - had spent the night with his sister. The sister has not been identified.

Horne had been waiting for his Lyft car to pick him up around 10.30am that morning when the infuriated brother beat him to a pulp with an aluminum bat until he blacked out.

The Lyft driver, who reported the beating to 911, told authorities he heard Tuimauga shout out: 'This is what happens when you bring black people around here!'

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Julian Tuimauga, 18, (pictured above) dodged hate crime charges Monday in a Washington court

Julian Tuimauga, 18, (pictured above) dodged hate crime charges Monday in a Washington court

Tuimauga beat Dashawn Horne, 26, (pictured) in January Horne is pictured in the hospital

Tuimauga beat Dashawn Horne, 26, (pictured smiling and in the hospital) with a baseball bat in January after the black man spent the night with his sister

Horne (above in the hospital) has no recollection of the attack. Court claims hate crime charges against Tuimauga were thrown out as way to protect the victim from having to give evidence at trial

Horne (above in the hospital) has no recollection of the attack. Court claims hate crime charges against Tuimauga were thrown out as way to protect the victim from having to give evidence at trial

The attacker's charges were thrown out as part of a plea deal the court claims is to protect the victim - who hasn't been informed about the attack, according to the Seattle Pi.

The newspaper reports the deal will prevent Horne from having to give evidence at a trial for the attack he doesn't remember.

Tuimauga admitted that he used 'racially charged words and threats toward Dashawn Horne in the course of causing him physical injury.'

The attacker pleaded guilty to first-degree assault and malicious harassment. The Seattle Pi reported that he accepted a 'deadly weapon enhancement' as part of the plea deal. He will be required to serve two more years behind bars as a result.

Tuimauga is expected to serve 136 to 160 months in prison with a three-year probation period afterward.  

He will be sentenced September 21.  

LaDonna Horne, the victim's mother, posted this college of her son in the hospital with a caption 'thankful...grateful...blessed'

LaDonna Horne, the victim's mother, posted this college of her son in the hospital with a caption 'thankful...grateful...blessed'

Lashawn Horne is shown in the hospital surrounded by nurses

Lashawn Horne is shown in the hospital surrounded by nurses

LaDonna Horne said she is OK with the hate crime charges being tossed and hopes her son's attacker 'gets whatever he needs to be behind bars at this point.' The victim is seen right

LaDonna Horne said she is OK with the hate crime charges being tossed and hopes her son's attacker 'gets whatever he needs to be behind bars at this point.' The victim is seen right

Heartbreaking photos from Horne's three-month long stay in the hospital show him unconscious as he is hooked up to ventilators. He suffered a traumatic brain injury.

The victim's mother, LaDonna Horne, said she is OK with the hate crime charges being tossed and that she hopes her son's attacker 'gets whatever he needs to be behind bars at this point.'

She added: 'Dashawn has been through a lot and the family has been through a lot.'

Four months ago, the victim's mother had shared a hopeful video of her son walking out of the Harborview Medical Center for the very first time.

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Share 63 shares Four months ago, the victim's mother shared a hopeful video of her son walking out of the Harborview Medical Center

Four months ago, the victim's mother shared a hopeful video of her son walking out of the Harborview Medical Center

LaDonna Horne said her son walked out of the hospital with one of his favorite nurses

LaDonna Horne said her son walked out of the hospital with one of his favorite nurses

'YESSSS HE DID WALK OUT OF HARBORVIEW... with one of his FAVORITE NURSES... ALL OF YOU ROCK,' she wrote to her Facebook page.

'THANKS TO ALL OF THE HARBORVIEW STAFF THAT CARED FOR MY SON ..MUCH LOVE SEE YOU IN OUTPATIENT REHAB.'

The bittersweet video had 27,000 views as of Tuesday afternoon.

LaDonna Horne told the Seattle Pi about her son's progress: 'He's talking, walking, dancing, lip-syncing. He's doing really good.'

The family also told King 5 Dashawn still has a long way to go and that they hope their story brings awareness to what the real issue is.

'We forgive... but at the same time, hopefully this can open a lot of people's eyes.'

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