Madison homicide victim was victim of hate crime 6 years ago

A Madison man stabbed to death on his 46th birthday had been the victim of a hate crime when he was beaten outside a gay bar several years ago.

Madison police announced Thursday the arrest of a man in the slaying of Andrew Nesbitt, who was found dead Monday afternoon by his roommate in the apartment they shared on N. Butler St.

Darrick E. Anderson, 23, who has no permanent address, was arrested on a tentative charge of first-degree intentional homicide, Police Chief Mike Koval said.

Nesbitt was beaten by two men on Christmas Eve 2011 outside a gay bar in Oshkosh. That required emergency surgery to reduce swelling in his brain and wire his broken jaw, said Kathy Flores, LGBTQ Statewide Anti-Violence coordinator for Diverse & Resilient, a public health agency.

"After that attack in 2011, Drew worked with me to help tell his story in order to help keep others safe," said Flores, who worked with Nesbitt as an advocate in the court system when the two men who attacked him were convicted and sentenced to two years in prison.

Officials don't know if Nesbitt was killed because he was gay and it's not clear if his death was a hate crime, Madison police spokesman Joel DeSpain said.

After Nesbitt's body was found in his home around 4 p.m. Monday, police began checking security cameras downtown and saw Nesbitt and Anderson meet briefly outside a Madison convenience store early Monday. They exchanged words and shook hands. It's unknown what was said or whether the two men previously knew each other, said DeSpain.

"We don't believe there is much of a connection between these two that we've been able to determine. We know they spoke briefly in the early morning hours outside a convenience store," DeSpain said. "But beyond that we really are trying to determine if they knew each other in the past. It doesn't sound like that in speaking to Nesbitt's friends and family."

Police circulated a photo of Anderson from the security camera to other law enforcement departments. University of Wisconsin-Madison police recognized Anderson from a previous contact when he allegedly harassed a worker at Union South the previous week and provided Madison police his name. Authorities learned Anderson had pawned items in the past and a check of pawn shops turned up information that Anderson had pawned a Trek bicycle and music headphones Tuesday afternoon at a shop near East Towne Mall. As officers visited the pawn shop, Madison police were notified of a shoplifting suspect at the mall who was trying to steal clothing.

It turned out to be Anderson. The case has been turned over to the district attorney's office for charges.

While detectives work with Nesbitt's roommate to inventory items from the apartment they shared, DeSpain said the bicycle and the headphones were believed to have been stolen shortly after Nesbitt's death. The murder weapon – likely a single-edged blade, according to the autopsy – has not been recovered.

Nesbitt recently moved to Madison. He had worked for United Way in Marinette previously. On Sunday evening, he celebrated his birthday with friends and acquaintances at a Madison bar.

Flores last spoke to Nesbitt in October, asking for permission to continue telling the story of his beating as she advocated for hate crime legislation.

"He wanted to make sure the story of what happened to him didn't happen in vain," said Flores, who was shocked and devastated to hear of his killing. "Going through one horrific violent incident in life, which Drew did, is more than enough."