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Stephanie Keith\/Contributor via Getty Images<\/p>\n
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People participate in a memorial vigil for O’Shae Sibley in New York City.<\/p>\n
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Key Takeaways<\/p>\n
A Brooklyn jury found Dmitriy Popov guilty of first-degree manslaughter as a hate crime in the 2023 killing of O\u2019Shae Sibley.
\n Popov was acquitted of second-degree murder as a hate crime but also convicted on additional charges, including menacing and weapon possession.
\n The verdict was delivered at the start of Pride Month, and the Brooklyn district attorney addressed its impact in remarks following the decision.<\/p>\n
A Brooklyn jury convicted Dmitriy Popov of first-degree manslaughter as a hate crime on Monday (June 8) in the fatal stabbing of O\u2019Shae Sibley<\/a>, a Black gay professional dancer whose death drew national attention.<\/p>\n Popov, now 20, was 17<\/a> when he stabbed Sibley at a Brooklyn gas station on July 29, 2023. According to the Associated Press<\/a>, the confrontation began after Sibley and his friends, who stopped for gas after a beach outing, were dancing and voguing to Beyonc\u00e9. Prosecutors said members of a nearby group shouted racist and anti-gay slurs at them before the encounter turned deadly.<\/p>\n The jury acquitted Popov of murder as a hate crime, which carried the possibility of a life sentence. He was also convicted of second-degree menacing, second-degree aggravated harassment, and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon. His sentencing is scheduled for June 30. Defense attorney Mark Pollard told AP that Popov will appeal the verdict, adding that the outcome was \u201cprobably bittersweet for both sides.\u201d<\/p>\n Popov testified during trial that he acted in self-defense and denied using bigoted language. Prosecutors argued that he acted out of hate after taunting Sibley and his friends for dancing in public.<\/p>\n Brooklyn DA speaks to verdict arriving during Pride Month<\/p>\n The verdict arrived during the opening days of Pride Month, a timing Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez directly addressed in a statement<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201c[It is my] hope that as the LGBTQ+ community celebrates the beginning of Pride Month, this verdict will bring O\u2019Shae\u2019s family, his friends, and the larger community some measure of solace. Hate has no place in Brooklyn,\u201d Gonzalez said.<\/p>\n He also described Sibley\u2019s life as \u201ccut short when he was killed by this defendant, who couldn\u2019t stand the sight of O\u2019Shae and his friends just being themselves and living their lives openly as Black gay men.\u201d<\/p>\n