Mary Kristene Chapa: Potential Hate Crime Victim is in Stable Condition

Shooting victim Mary Kristene Chapa is reportedly in stable condition after withstanding a gunshot wound to the head in what may be considered a hate crime. However, it's being reported that she has yet to be interviewed by investigators regarding the brutal and senseless act. The 18-year-old lesbian was critically injured while her girlfriend, Mollie Olgin, 19, died at the scene of the crime.

This is a controversial topic that has sparked debate in several groups. Was this a hate crime? Were these two young lovers attacked because of their sexual orientation? Was this a random attack or one based off some sort of grudge? These questions, and more, haven't been answered because investigators just don't know—nor do they appear to be too interested in finding out, with the immediate comments of "there is no proof of this being a hate crime." It just feels like the officials and small town mentality surrounding this case are too quick to write off something that is a huge possibility.

Investigators say that they can't decide whether this is a hate crime or not without a suspect or without the statements of Mary Kristene Chapa—who has not yet been interviewed even though she is in stable condition. So the question that should be asked is simple: Why hasn't she been interviewed? If she's in stable condition as this source indicates, then she should be able to at least communicate, right? Medically speaking, a "stable" condition is just a step away from being in "satisfactory" condition. She is no longer in a "critical" state, which is absolutely miraculous considering she sustained a gunshot wound to the head.

Texas Rangers have been called in to help with the investigation, but so far the only evidence that is known about by the public is an empty shell casing from a large-caliber handgun. Witness reports from the beginning of this case state that a man was seen leading the two girls into the park on a trail; so what was this about? Couldn't these homicide detectives glean some kind of description to form an idea of who the suspect may be? It isn't like Portland, Texas, is a booming metropolis. It's a town with a population of under 20,000 people. It's not tiny, but it's certainly not even a mid-sized city. So with so few people in this city, it can't be that diverse of a population. Who knew these two young women? Who did they know that could have wanted to harm them? It's hard to believe this was a random attack given the idea that no robbery was reported upon, nor were there any other visible motives.

Someone stated earlier, regarding this story, that Occam's razor would indicate that this is a hate crime—and they're right. Texas isn't a mecca for same-sex acceptance, and it's a state that is known to have a growing rate of hate crimes committed against homosexuals. So it's really not an out-of-this-world idea to think that the girls' relationship triggered some kind of attack. It certainly wouldn't be the first murder fueled by bigotry in the Lonestar state. Also, to be clear, it's not just because this happened in Texas that it looks like a hate crime—but it certainly doesn't help that it did happen there.

Crime analyst and profiler Chelsea Hoffman can be found on The Huffington Post, Chelsea Hoffman: Case to Case and many other outlets. Follow @TheRealChelseaH on Twitter or click here to contact Chelsea directly.

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