Four family members in Florida are behind bars after allegedly beating a man so severely that he’s been permanently blinded.
CBS Miami reports the Makarenkos of Pompano Beach have been charged with attempted first-degree murder on the man, who is gay, under Florida’s hate crime law.
Last August, Inna Makarenko, 44, Yevhen Makarenko, 43, and two of their adult sons, Oleh and Vladyslav, allegedly attacked the 31-year-old victim, whose name is being withheld in accordance with Marsy’s Law. They reportedly believed the man had “turned” their son gay.
The victim told Broward County sheriff’s deputies that he’d been in a nine-month relationship with 21-year-old suspect Oleh Makarenko. In August 2021, Makarenko told the victim his parents found out he was gay and that “his father was now treating him poorly and not accepting him, and his mother was forcing him to marry a woman.”
The four suspects subsequently stormed the victim’s apartment on Aug. 6, 2021, beating him for 13 hours.
“All four suspects continued holding (the victim) and began punching, kicking and hitting all over his face, head and body,”read the arrest report, which went on to state that Oleh and his mother watched as Yevhen and Vladyslav proceeded to beat the victim severely.
“Oleh and his mother walked into the apartment and watched as the suspects continued to beat (the victim)…(the victim) stated to Oleh’s mother, ‘Unfortunately your son’s gay,’” the document stated. “And (the victim) asked Oleh, ‘Is this what you wanted?’ to which Oleh replied ‘no.’ … One of them grabbed an unknown object and struck him in the face. (The Victim) stated after falling to the floor, he pretended to be dead.”
The victim waited several months to press charges, as he initially told police his injuries were the result of a fall he sustained while drinking.
All four Makarenkos are charged with first-degree attempted murder, burglary with battery and kidnapping. They remain in jail without bond.
