Oregon man jailed for more than 12 years over violent anti‑gay hate crime

A Springfield, Oregon man has been sentenced to 151 months in federal prison for a brutal anti‑gay hate crime assault, following a federal investigation that revealed he had meticulously planned the attack for weeks. 

Daniel Andrew McGee, 26, received the sentence - equivalent to just over 12½ years - alongside five years of supervised release, after pleading guilty in November 2025 to a federal hate crime involving an attempt to kill. The sentencing was handed down on Tuesday, 3 March, by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon.

Prosecutors said McGee met the victim on 5 July 2021 through the dating app Grindr. He went to the victim’s apartment in Eugene and launched a sustained and violent attack, striking the victim repeatedly on the head with a wooden tyre thumper and attempting to gouge his eyes out. The victim survived but sustained life‑threatening injuries, including severe head wounds. 

An FBI investigation later uncovered that McGee had spent at least a month researching homophobic and graphic anti‑gay content online. He also purchased the weapon and additional materials through Amazon, and searched the internet for information on “how to get away with murder”. Court documents further revealed he had mapped out the assault in advance.

U.S. Attorney Scott E. Bradford said the case underscored the federal government’s commitment to combating hate‑motivated violence: “The right to live safely in one’s community is a fundamental civil right… we hope this sentence will bring some measure of justice to the victim and our community.” FBI officials added that hate crimes harm not only the individual but entire communities, reaffirming their commitment to responding to such attacks with the “full extent of the law.”