NEW YORK (TCN) — A 20-year-old man has been convicted of manslaughter as a hate crime in the fatal stabbing of a man dancing at a gas station in 2023.
In June 2023, 28-year-old O’Shae Sibley arrived with a group of friends at a gas station to fill up the car after spending the day at the beach, WPIX reports. Music was playing in the car as it was being filled, and Sibley, a professional dancer, got out and started dancing. According to court documents obtained by the outlet, Dmitriy Popov, who was 17 at the time, witnessed the dancing and began calling Sibley racist and homophobic slurs. Popov then stabbed Sibley, puncturing his heart.
Sibley was taken to a hospital for treatment and pronounced dead, WPIX reports. Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said, “O’Shae Sibley moved to New York to pursue his dream of being a dancer and choreographer, and his life was cut short when he was killed by this defendant, who couldn’t stand the sight of O’Shae and his friends just being themselves and living their lives openly as Black gay men.”
On June 8, Popov was found guilty of manslaughter as a hate crime, menacing, criminal possession of a weapon, and aggravated harassment, News 12 Brooklyn reports. Popov was acquitted of second-degree murder as a hate crime, LGBTQ Nation reports. At trial, his attorney argued that he acted in self-defense.
Sibley’s sister, Desire Sibley, spoke at an event celebrating his life. According to News 12 Brooklyn, she said, “I hate that I have to speak about my brother in the past tense, because he did not deserve this. … He should not have been killed for standing up for who he was.”
CBS News reports Sibley appeared in music videos and was a part of the ballroom community. Beyoncé and Spike Lee posted tributes to him following his death.
Popov’s sentencing is scheduled for June 30, and he faces up to 25 years in prison, per WPIX.
MORE:
