Louisiana man charged with attempted murder, intent to kidnap and dismember gay men

NEW ORLEANS (TCD) --

A 19-year-old Lafayette, La. man was charged with federal hate crimes Thursday. Prosecutors allege he targeted gay men and kidnapped them with the intent to kill.

The Department of Justice released a statement Thursday outlining the charges against Chance Seneca of Lafayette, Louisiana. According to the DOJ, Seneca allegedly used the dating app Grindr as a way to find his victims.

On June 19 and June 20, 2020, Seneca allegedly kidnapped two men and attempted to kidnap a third. He reportedly tried killing one of the men.

The Justice Department alleges Seneca "attempted to murder one of these men because of his gender and sexual orientation, and that the defendant intended to dismember and keep parts of the victim’s body as trophies, mementos and food."

Seneca allegedly possessed a firearm and tried covering his tracks by deleting conversations on the dating app between himself and the victim of the attempted murder.

According to Associated Press who cited the affidavit, one of the victims, 18-year-old Holden White, was found in a bathtub with strangulation marks on his neck and his "wrists slit to the bone."

The affidavit, which was filed by the FBI in August, said Seneca called the police after the attack on White as a "self-described effort to be put into a mental institution."

Seneca was indicted on six counts, including hate crime, kidnapping, firearm and obstruction charges.

White spoke with local Lafayette news station KATC-TV and said he's "staying strong."

He added, "This is a hate crime due to a fact that he made it a point to choose a gay man on a gay app."

White was in a coma for three days and remained in the hospital for almost a month.

Seneca also faced state hate crime charges. He was booked into the Lafayette Parish Prison and held on a $250,000 bond.

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