New York man who killed gay dancer faces 25 years after hate-crime conviction
Dmitriy Popov, who fatally stabbed vogue dancer O'Shae Sibley in 2023, has been convicted of manslaughter as a hate crime and faces a prison term of 8 to 25 years.
A New York City man convicted of a hate crime in the 2023 stabbing death of vogue dancer O'Shae Sibley is facing a sentence of between eight and 25 years. Dmitriy Popov, now 20, was 17 at the time of the killing, and his sentencing is tentatively set for June 30.
During his trial, Popov testified that he stabbed Sibley in self-defense outside a Brooklyn gas station on July 29, 2023. However, prosecutors argued that Popov was motivated by anti-LGBTQ+ hatred, taunting and then killing Sibley when the gay man reacted to provocations. Surveillance footage showed the two groups arguing briefly before parting ways, but Popov later approached Sibley's group, hurled insults, and recorded on his phone. Sibley confronted him, and Popov stabbed him with a 5.5-inch blade.
On Monday, a jury found Popov guilty of manslaughter as a hate crime, second-degree menacing, aggravated harassment, and criminal possession of a weapon after a three-week trial in Brooklyn state supreme court. He was acquitted of murder as a hate crime, which could have carried a life sentence. Popov's attorney, Mark Pollard, called the verdict "bittersweet," expressing relief that his client was not convicted of murder but disappointment he was not acquitted on all charges.
Sibley, 28, was a dancer from Philadelphia who moved to New York to pursue his career. He danced with the Philadanco company and used his art to celebrate his LGBTQ+ identity. New York prosecutors tried Popov as an adult under state law allowing anyone over 13 accused of murder to be treated as an adult.
