This Florida Man Stabbed His Friend Repeatedly in the Neck After the Two Had Sex
A 38-year-old man in St. Petersburg, Florida named Michael Drake reportedly attacked his 54-year-old friend Mark Kimball after the two had sex. Drake attacked Kimball with a 10- to 12-inch kitchen knife, slicing his neck several times before leaving Kimball’s house. Kimball survived the St. Petersburg stabbing, but Drake has since confessed to the crime and has been arrested and charged with one count of second-degree attempted murder.
The two men hooked up on Thursday evening before the attack. It’s unclear what motivated the attack, but after Drake departed, Kimball wrapped his neck with a towel and went looking around his neighborhood for help.
Eventually, a neighbor called 911 emergency services and Kimball went to the hospital with serious injuries — he’s expected to survive.
About five hours later, police received a call about an attempted robbery and found Drake elsewhere in the St. Petersburg suburbs. Drake had apparently gone home and then to a friend’s house, but the friend turned him away.
Drake admitted to the police that he had committed the St. Petersburg stabbing and police later retrieved the weapon from his home.
The St. Petersburg stabbing raises the issue of male domestic abuse. A July 2018 study of 320 men in 160 couples found that 46% of respondents had suffered intimate-partner abuse, including emotional abuse, controlling behavior and physical and sexual violence.
Researchers found a strong correlation between internalized homophobia and abuse in gay male relationships. An abuser grappling with his sexuality may lash out at the person he perceives as the embodiment of that identity, researchers said.
Societal pressure on men to be “strong” may keep victims from seeking help. But even if they do seek help, there’s usually less of a support system available to gay victims, especially if one or both partners is not fully out. Shelters and counseling may not be available to men.
