LATEST ON THE WHITE POWER CHOPPING BLOCK: KYLE & COLIN MCBRIARTY, PAUL RUSSO, AND ADAM HOWICK

So Adam Howick’s MySpace Page says for his musical tastes he prefers “good white music, no rap s–t”, but has his profile done up in a Slipknot motif – who come from a heavy hip hop influence (those turntables they use onstage – where did that come from?) Kyle McBriarty likes listening to Kid Rock who is himself a rapper. We always get a kick out of boneheads who don’t follow the musical roots of the bands they like, but we would not have even been on Howick’s page were it not for another stupid thing he did with four of his friends. Howick, left brothers Kyle, right, and Colin McBriarty and Paul Russo are in a bit of a bind after they decided to lure a black man into Kyle’s home and attack and rob him. This is being treated as a hate crime, although on its face we are betting that there are a few more facets than just mere bias. Adam doesn’t get too much of a pass on that front however because he has said he was down with Aryan Nations. We want to see where this goes honestly, but we can at least safely say that these guys are not all that high up on the food chain.

Berlin (CT) Citizen

A brutal beating of a black man last November was a premeditated hate crime, according to Berlin police who have been piecing the case together for several months. Three men were arrested Feb. 2 on numerous charges related to the incident and a fourth man will be charged shortly. Three of the alleged perpetrators are from Berlin, two of them are brothers, and all of them are white.

“He fought for his life,” said Lt. James Gosselin of the victim, 28, whose name was withheld. During interviews the victim described racial slurs that were hurled at him during the beating and as he tried to escape, rocks were thrown at him. The man was able to escape to New Britain where he notified police of the assault.

“It was chilling,” Gosselin said of the ferocity of the attack.

Gosselin said phone records showed that the alleged attackers called the victim 11 times on Nov. 8 the day of the beating. They were inviting him to a party and urging him to show up. “It was premeditated.”

According to police, the victim worked with the McBriarty brothers and had socialized with them previously.

The incident took place at 57 Vivian Drive, home of Kyle McBriarty, 22, one of the men who was charged in the assault.

He and the other suspects were charged with second-degree robbery, third-degree assault, first-degree criminal mischeif, unlawful restraint, second-degree intimidation based on bigotry and bias, disorderly conduct, sixth-degree larceny, falsely reporting an incident, second-degree false statement and conspiracy counts for each of these charges.

His brother, Colin McBriarty, 19, is expected to be served with a warrant later this month. Colin McBriarty is currently in jail in a separate case involving domestic violence charges related to an alleged assault on his girlfriend.

Also charged in the case are: Paul Russo Jr., 21, of 321 Summitwood Drive; and Adam Howick, 21, of 37 Miller St., New Britain.

Gosselin said the department of corrections provided information in regards to Howick’s affiliation with the Aryan Nation, a white supremist organization. Furthermore, Howick has tattoos on his hands that relate to that affiliation that helped police identify him.

Sgt. Mark Sonseson and Officer Mike Silverio “worked to bring this to fruition,” Gosselin said. The investigation was muddied at the start by lies the alleged perpetrators told to cover their actions, he said.

After the incident, the suspects called Berlin police to report that they were victims of a home invasion carried out by two Hispanic men. After that story got out, the neighborhood was terrorized by concerns about home invasion, Gosselin said. The story, which proved to be false, complicated the investigation.

McBriarty and Howick were unable to post bail and remain in jail. Russo posted $250,000 and was released. The men are scheduled to appear in New Britain Superior Court Feb. 9.