Key Takeaways
- A Brooklyn jury found Dmitriy Popov guilty of first-degree manslaughter as a hate crime in the 2023 killing of O’Shae Sibley.
- Popov was acquitted of second-degree murder as a hate crime but also convicted on additional charges, including menacing and weapon possession.
- The verdict was delivered at the start of Pride Month, and the Brooklyn district attorney addressed its impact in remarks following the decision.
A Brooklyn jury convicted Dmitriy Popov of first-degree manslaughter as a hate crime on Monday (June 8) in the fatal stabbing of O’Shae Sibley, a Black gay professional dancer whose death drew national attention.
Popov, now 20, was 17 when he stabbed Sibley at a Brooklyn gas station on July 29, 2023. According to the Associated Press, the confrontation began after Sibley and his friends, who stopped for gas after a beach outing, were dancing and voguing to Beyoncé. Prosecutors said members of a nearby group shouted racist and anti-gay slurs at them before the encounter turned deadly.
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 “probably bittersweet for both sides.”
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.
Brooklyn DA speaks to verdict arriving during Pride Month
The verdict arrived during the opening days of Pride Month, a timing Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez directly addressed in a statement.
“[It is my] hope that as the LGBTQ+ community celebrates the beginning of Pride Month, this verdict will bring O’Shae’s family, his friends, and the larger community some measure of solace. Hate has no place in Brooklyn,” Gonzalez said.
He also described Sibley’s life as “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.”
Sibley performed with the Philadelphia-based dance company Philadanco and took classes with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s Ailey Extension program in New York. He also used movement to celebrate LGBTQ+ identity, including through works such as “Soft: A Love Letter to Black Queer Men,” choreographed by Kemar Jewel.
His funeral in Philadelphia drew about 200 people. Beyoncé, Spike Lee, and others paid tribute to him after his death.