Vicious attack on lesbian in Oklahoma City suburb
Another gay-related hate crime has happened in a state where gay-related hate crimes are not even recognized. Kayla Elliott, a lesbian in her late twenties, is taking care of her sick father in the Oklahoma City suburb of Midwest City, Oklahoma. A woman who lives in the apartment above them has been harassing Kayla with anti-gay slurs and remarks for months.
However, on Tuesday evening, August 14th, those slurs and remarks escalated to a vicious assault. The woman, later identified as 38 year old Camino Nicole Maxwell, initiated an altercation while Kayla was speaking to people outside, calling her a “dumb dyke” who “looks like a man” and threatening to “Jack up you and your dad.”
“Kayla told us that the woman came at her three times this night,” said Christina Garcia, friend of Elliott. “This woman has been verbally threatening Kayla for months.”
According to Garcia, Maxwell took a swing and initiated a physical altercation. After the fight had been broken up, Elliott retreated from the confrontation and into her father's apartment, where Maxwell then banged on their door. Elliott reportedly reiterated that she didn't want any trouble; she's “just taking care of her father.” After waiting inside for Maxwell to return home, Elliott ventured back out to retrieve a necklace that had fallen off during the fight. She found the necklace, but before she could make it back to the apartment, Maxwell assaulted her with a knife, screaming, “I'm gonna kill you,” and “I'll make you straight.” After seeing the blood coming from Elliott’s head wound, witnesses called the police and separated the two.
Maxwell was arrested on the scene and put in jail that night for assault with a dangerous weapon. She was held on $5,000 bond for probable cause of assault with a deadly weapon.
Meanwhile, Garcia and Elliott’s girlfriend, Amber Cloud, were at a local restaurant waiting for Elliott for dinner. Worried that she hadn't shown up, they finally called her father, who told them the news. When they finally found Elliott, she had been at OU Medical Center for an hour, but police were taking the report and they had to wait another hour before they could see her.
“They wanted to make sure we weren’t one of the women trying to hurt her, so we couldn’t see her for quite a while,” added Garcia. “After two hours there, she hadn't been cleaned up or cared for.”
Once the medical staff finished caring for her head wound, the “couple of stitches” had turned into 18.
“They first recommended that she stay in the hospital overnight, then they sent her home after they found out she didn’t have health insurance,” Garcia said adding they had to washed away all the blood left on the victim once they arrived back in the home.
Maxwell later claimed it was self-defense.
The assailant’s arrest record dates back to 1992 where she has multiple previous arrests for DUI, possession charges, actual physical control charges, and forcible entry.
According to Garcia, Maxwell is banned from the apartment complex, but that is little solace for Elliott and her family in this predicament. Elliott has been unable to work while healing from the attack, is still taking care of her dad and is afraid to leave the apartment.
Garcia says they have inquired about the police report all week. “The police are telling us now there is no police report but when Amber and I got to the hospital; the police were in the room with her taking the report. Now they say there is no report?”
The victim is working with the Oklahoma County DA’s office attempting to elevate the current charge to a more serious charge, such as attempted murder.
This attack comes less than one month after another gay hate crime in Edmond, OK.
OKC Pride has contacted Garcia reaching out to raise funds to help Elliott with expenses related to this attack, both medical and legal. If you wish to help, contact OKC Pride at (405) 466-LGBT (5428), or email info@okcpride.org
*editor's note: This story was originally forwarded as breaking news to an affillitated company, LGBTQ Nation, by the Gayly while our new website was being completed. Any followup to this story will be brought to our readers as breaking news on this website.