Wisconsin gay man who survived 2011 hate attack found stabbed to death on 46th birthday

A gay man in Madison, WI who survived a violent attack outside a gay bar in 2011 was found stabbed to death in his apartment on Monday, his 46th birthday.

WTVM Channel 15 reported Thursday that police apprehended 23-year-old Darrick E. Anderson on Tuesday for the murder of Andrew Nesbitt, who was found dead at around 4 p.m. on Monday afternoon.

Madison Police Chief Mike Koval said that public and private surveillance cameras caught Anderson accosting Nesbitt about two blocks from Nesbitt's apartment. Anderson was arrested on Tuesday in connection to a retail theft, but he was wanted as a person of interest in the homicide case.

Nesbitt survived a brutal beating on Christmas Eve of 2011 outside an LGBTQ bar called P.J.'s in Oshkosh, WI. Two men attacked Nesbitt when he stepped outside the bar, beating him so badly he required emergency surgery to reduce the swelling on his brain, according to We Are Green Bay. He also suffered multiple broken bones in the attack.

Nesbitt's friend Kathy Flores recalled speaking to him after the attack, which required a long and arduous recovery process.

"I said, 'I'm sorry there's so much hate in the world," Flores said. "And he said, 'Well, I can also attest to the fact that there's more love than there is hate and so I believe that love will win.'"

Madison police say that Anderson will probably face first-degree homicide charges.

Watch the video, embedded below:

[Hat-tip to Towleroad.com]