Paul Broussard
Jon Buice is again up for parole in the 1991 murder of gay Houston banker Paul Broussard, who was brutally beaten and stabbed in the Montrose area when Buice and his friends decided to “beat up some queers.”
Buice, who was sentenced to 45 years in prison in 1992, is the only one of the 10 teens from The Woodlands who remains behind bars. But Andy Kahan with the Houston Crime Victim’s Office said Buice’s case is under review for parole. His hearing is set for Sept. 24.
Statewide LGBT advocacy group Equality Texas is again calling for Buice to be denied parole and urging people to contact the Board of Pardons and Paroles. Broussard’s mother, Nancy Rodriguez, has said she wants Buice to remain in jail for at least 27 years, the age of her son when he was killed.
“When is it OK to allow a violent criminal out of jail early? A criminal, who blatantly snubbed his nose at the laws of humanity and, with hate in his soul, struck down another simply because the victim was gay,” Equality Texas wrote on its blog. “A criminal who found enjoyment at going out and ‘beating up some queers.’ A criminal who used his fist, steel toed boots, and a nail studded 2X4 to slowly murder another human being. A criminal who incited nine others to join him in this crime. That is the question that, once again, is before the Texas Board of Pardon and Paroles and the question that Equality Texas answers: NOT YET!”
Buice was granted parole in 2011 until the decision was reversed with the release of undisclosed “new information” to the board after a campaign from the LGBT community to prevent Buice from leaving prison.
There are different opinions on whether Buice should remain in jail and whether the media handled the coverage of Broussard’s murder fairly.
The blog Grits for Breakfast has a take on letting Buice out, while a writer at Off the Kuff sees the benefit of more punishment.
Rodriguez, Broussard’s mom, responded to the latter post, saying she is hardly the only one calling for Buice to remain incarcerated.
“My son suffered a great deal and was murdered by Buice simply because he was gay,” she wrote in part. “Paul was a very kind, intelligent loving and wonderful person who graduated from Texas A&M. How dare you try to make Buice the victim. He needs to stay in prison. What has Buice done except cause a lifetime a pain and heartache.”
To contact the board or to read Equality Texas’ letter, go here.
