After interviewing the suspects, investigators concluded the victim was targeted because the assailants thought he was gay.
Whether or not the victim actually was gay is not at issue; the suspects believed him to be; indeed, it seems they were specifically targeting gays. That one sentence is the definition of a hate crime. The sole motive for the crime is bigotry toward supposed members of a specific group of individuals (gays, blacks, latinos, women). It isn't about speech, and it isn't about making up a motive where none exists. This is a textbook case of a hate crime.
