LAFAYETTE - Last Saturday (June 20), an 18-year-old was stabbed by a man he met on Grindr, in what may be a hate crime, as friends and family say they believe the 18-year-old was targeted for being gay.

According to KATC, the FBI has joined the investigation into the attempted murder of Holden White and is now assisting the Lafayette Police Department. 

Last Saturday, Lafayette Police say they were dispatched to a home within the 400 block of Maryview Farm Road at 11:45 p.m. where they discovered White suffering from a large laceration to his neck.

The man accused of stabbing White, 19-year-old Chance Seneca, was still on scene and taken into custody.

He was arrested on one charge of attempted second-degree murder.

Meanwhile, White was rushed to an area hospital with a multitude of debilitating stab wounds.

And, nearly a week after the harrowing ordeal his mother, Raynette Gaspard, says White is improving and able to speak, but will likely face long-term effects from the stabbing.

"He's in the ICU unit. I could not ask for better care, very nice people, very great at their job. He feels safe there at the moment," Gaspard told reporters on Thursday.

Gaspard says White is now off the ventilator and feeding tubes and is talking.

"From the strangulation, his voice is very weak, but he is getting stronger each day," Gaspard added.

When Holden regained consciousness, he wasn't sure what was happening, his mother explained.

"He remembers bits and pieces of it. I was hoping he didn't remember any of it," Gaspard added. She went on to say, White briefly spoke about what he remembered of the incident.

"He said at first the guy was very nice to him, and that's why he was surprised when everything turned ugly," Gaspard said.

White suffered from multiple stab wounds in the neck, cuts on his wrist, and a wound on the back of his head. The long-term effects of his injuries are unknown at this time.

Lafayette Police say after consulting the DA's office, it's possible Seneca could face additional charges.