An Alabama woman was allegedly attacked
on Thanksgiving Day by her girlfriend's brother, Travis Hawkins Jr.
Twenty-three-year-old Mallory Owens
suffered multiple skull fractures and crushed bones as a result of
the attack, NBC
affiliate Local 15 reported. She was released from the hospital
on Monday.
What prompted the attack remains
unclear. However, Owens' mother, Kristi Taylor, told WKRG.com
that Owens was beaten because she is gay.
“She was invited over by the family
to eat Thanksgiving,” Taylor said. “I did not want her to go, I
begged her not to go, knowing how the family felt about her. But she
said, 'They're trying to be nice.'”
Taylor told Fox
10 TV that Hawkins attacked her with a pipe in the back of the
head.
Hawkins has been charged with second
degree assault. Prosecutors said it was premature to call the attack
a hate crime.
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the
nation's largest gay rights advocate, said in a statement Tuesday
that it had asked the Department of Justice and the FBI to become
involved in the investigation.
“We call on both Alabama and federal
law enforcement officials to thoroughly and swiftly investigate this
crime to ensure Mallory's attacker is brought to justice,” HRC
President Chad Griffin said.
A fund to help cover Owens' medical
bills has been set up at Regions Bank (1-800-REGIONS).