2006 Harris County, Texas hate crime assault

[3] The incident occurred at a residence located north of the city of Houston, with a Spring, Texas address,[4][5] at a party held at the Sons family home.

[10] Tuck kicked Ritcheson with steel-toed boots and forced the pointed end of a PVC patio umbrella pole up his rectum several inches while yelling racial slurs.

According to Harris County prosecutor Mike Trent, the attackers may have poured bleach inside the pipe as high levels of toxins were found in Ritcheson's organs.

[11] After being contacted by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and agreeing to make his name public, Ritcheson went to Washington, D.C., and on April 17, 2007, testified to the United States House of Representatives Judiciary Subcommittee about passing more stringent hate crime laws.

[16] After a lengthy recovery, which included a three-month stint in the hospital and more than 12 surgeries,[10] Ritcheson refused professional counseling and never spoke about his experiences with his friends.

[18]On the morning of July 1, 2007, Ritcheson committed suicide by jumping from the deck of the Carnival Ecstasy, a cruise ship bound for the Mexican resort island of Cozumel.