9 Students Sentenced for Anti-Gay Assault
The Salisbury University students have been sentenced to jail time after pleading guilty to using Grindr to lure and beat a gay man.
Nine students from Salisbury University have been sentenced for taking part in the assault of a gay man whom they reportedly lured to a house using the gay dating app Grindr.
According to the Cecil Whig newspaper, one of the students, Zachary Leinemann, posed as a 16-year-old boy on the app, seeking to lure a 40-year-old man to an off-campus apartment for a sexual encounter on October 15, 2024. The age of consent in Maryland, in most cases, is 16 years old.
Leinemann and the man allegedly corresponded through first Grindr and then Snapchat to set up an in-person meeting.
When the man — whose name has not been revealed — arrived at the apartment, a group of 15 students affiliated with the university’s Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity ambushed and assaulted him.
According to court records, the victim suffered a broken rib and multiple bruises. The victim told police he believed he was targeted for being gay, launching a hate crime investigation.
All 15 participants, aged 18 to 21, were initially charged with hate crime and felony assault charges, with some facing other charges.
The hate crime charges were dropped in December 2024 after the Wicomico County State’s Attorney’s Office said the evidence did not support pursuing them. They were later reduced to one count of second-degree assault and one count of false imprisonment, both misdemeanors.
According to WBOC, 10 students have pleaded guilty rather than go to trial on the charges against them. Nine of those students have been sentenced after pleading guilty to various charges in lieu of a bench trial.
Each student who has been sentenced will serve some jail time, with actual time spent in prison ranging from two days to one year. Each student was also sentenced to 18 months of probation upon release and could face additional jail time if they violate the terms of their probation.
They include:
- Dylan Earp, of Gambrills, Md., who pleaded guilty to a charge of second-degree assault, receiving a three-year sentence, with all but one year suspended.
- Ryder Baker, of Olney, Md., who pleaded guilty to a charge of second-degree assault, receiving a three-year sentence, with all but one year suspended.
- Riley Brister, of Davidsonville, Md., who pleaded guilty to a charge of second-degree assault, receiving a two-year sentence with all but one year suspended.
- Cruz Cespedes, of Jarrettsville, Md., who pleaded guilty to a charge of second-degree assault and had a charge of false imprisonment placed on a stet docket, meaning the charges are indefinitely postponed. He was sentenced to two years in prison, with all but 6 months suspended.
- Cameron Guy, of Baltimore City, who pleaded guilty to a charge of second-degree assault, receiving a two-year sentence, with all but 83 days suspended.
- Jacob Howard, of Elkridge, Md., who pleaded guilty to a charge of false imprisonment, receiving a two-year sentence, with all but 83 days suspended.
- Dylan Pietuszka, of Friendship, Md., who pleaded guilty to a charge of false imprisonment, and had a second-degree assault charge indefinitely postponed. He received a two-year sentence with all buy 79 days suspended.
- Logan Clark, of Severna Park, Md., who pleaded guilty to a charge of false imprisonment, and had a second-degree assault charge indefinitely postponed. He received a two-year sentence with all but 68 days suspended.
- Sean Antone, of West Friendship, Md., who pleaded guilty to a charge of false imprisonment, and had a second-degree assault charge indefinitely postponed. He received a two-year sentence with all but two days suspended.
A tenth student, Brennan Aird, of Milton, Delaware, pleaded guilty to second-degree assault. He is scheduled to be sentenced on April 30.
The five remaining students who allegedly took part in the attack now await trials. They are:
- Patrick Gutierrez, of Salisbury, Md., who had his bench trial postponed, and is slated to appear in court on February 12.
- Eric Sinclair, of Mount Airy, Md., who has requested a jury trial, with the case being moved to Wicomico County Circuit Court.
- Benjamin Brandenburg, of Glyndon, Md., who has requested a jury trial, with the case being moved to Wicomico County Circuit Court.
- Elijah Johnson, of Crofton, Md., is scheduled for a jury trial to begin on April 9.
- Zachary Leinemann, of Crofton, Md., is scheduled for a jury trial to begin on April 16.
A spokesperson for Salisbury University told WBOC that the students who are still enrolled are currently suspended. They are banned from campus property, can’t take classes online or virtually, and cannot attend university-sponsored events. They will face an internal hearing at the university to determine if they violated the school’s Student Code of Community Standards. If found guilty of violating the code, they could receive various punishments, ranging from a warning to dismissal from the university.
The Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity announced in November that it expelled members who face charges.
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