Two men in Britain were given life sentences yesterday for the homophobic murder of Jody Dobrowski, a 24-year-old bar manager. Given the simply appalling state of Western civilization, it is as the BBC noted, "the tip of the iceberg." But there is a quirk to the story that I can't resolve.

Of the two killers—Scott Walker, 33, and Thomas Pickford, 25—Walker was easily the more vicious. (He was out on early release from prison for assaulting his own mother.) Yet he is universally described in news accounts as a "decorator." What kind of decorator was Mr. Walker? "Set decorator," "garden decorator," "interior decorator"?

I know this makes no difference to poor Mr. Dobrowski, but you would think the media, which gave this case extensive coverage, would bother to take a look at who these people were.

Did Walker merely declare himself to be a decorator as some sort of sick joke? (He redecorated Mr. Dobrowski's face to the point that it was unrecognizable to his family.) Did he ever work in some capacity as a decorator? Or is this a case of "scratch a faggot-hater, find a decorator"?

If anyone knows more than I do, please leave a comment.

Tags: *gay violence homophobia decorator Britain UK murder