Ahead of the trial for 23-year-old Tyler Stevens of Paso Robles, a hearing was held to determine whether the charges should be enhanced as a hate crime.
Stevens is accused of murdering 32-year-old Atascadero resident Todd Joseph Pinion back in 2024. Pinion and his dog were reported missing in 2024; his dog, Spock, was found dead at the base of the Cuesta Grade, and Pinion’s body was found a few days later near Tassajara creek. Prosecutors argued that Stevens killed Pinion because he was gay. The defense attorney for Stevens argued that the correlation was not causation, and said there was no sufficient evidence that Stevens killed Pinion because he was gay.
Prosecutors, however, argued that Stevens’ phone records were wiped prior to his arrest, and that he intentionally kept a ‘trophy’ of Pinion’s furry mask after killing him.
Furries are a community of people who don anthropomorphic personas, also called ‘fursonas,’ sometimes engaging in sexual activities as said personas. The judge upheld the hate crime enhancement.
