Officer Danny Petro is a patrol cop responsible for the rape and murder of gay college student Lucas Rice.
History[]
Petro participated in a raid of a sex club for gay men, where one of the attendees punched him, resulting in Petro being insulted and teased by his colleagues. Furious and wanting to get his aggression out, Petro had his partner, Officer Billy Tolbert, buy a nightstick, then take Lucas into the precinct bathroom with him. While Tolbert held Lucas down, Petro violently raped Lucas with the baton, then took him back to his cell. An ambulance response was delayed, and Lucas died at the hospital from his colon being perforated.
One of the officers at the precinct, Officer Bob LeMay, reported to Ledger columnist Jack Miller to get Petro arrested. The precinct loved Tolbert, a family man and black cop rising the ranks, so they refused to squeal on him, and even former colleague Detective Chris Ravell refused to sell him out. LeMay was even a problematic witness against Petro, as they fought over a woman and LeMay got suspended.
Eventually, Petro pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. Petro gave his apologies for his crimes in court and insisted Tolbert was uninvolved, but Tolbert was found guilty at trial and imprisoned as well. The two officers were facing capital charges by federal courts, but the outcomes are left unknown. (TBJ: "Blue Wall")