Relatives Of Hate Crime Perp: He Doesn't Hate Gays, Had A Gay Roommate

During his perp-walk into an NYPD precinct last night, gay basher Daniel Rodriguez denied shouting anti-gay slurs during his vicious beating of Jack Price. Rodriquez' relatives chimed in that he was not homophobic, has gay friends and even had a gay roommate at one time.

One of the thugs charged with attacking a gay Queens man must be innocent, his sister says, because he has gay relatives - and even once had a gay roommate. "This wasn't a hate crime," Christina Rodriguez said of her brother Daniel, 21, who was returned to Queens on Wednesday night after being nabbed in Virginia. "If he's guilty of anything, he'll man up to it." His brother also came to his defense. "I know he's far away from being a hateful person," said Eddie Rodriguez, 28. "He don't hate nobody." Like Aleman, Rodriguez faces charges of assault as a hate crime. Aleman, according to sources, also implicated himself but says he simply joined in on the assault for no good reason - and then went home and fell asleep. "Me being a stupid ass took a couple of cheap shots on the white guy," he said of Price, one source said. Aleman's roommate, who identified himself only as Mario, said he was aghast. "He lost his morals and ruined his life," said the man. "He never gave me the impression he had something against gays." Price's family said the victim jotted down for police the gay slurs the suspects shouted as they beat him, collapsing his lungs and breaking his jaw and several ribs.

Jack Price continues to improve and was taken off the respirator last night.