Man convicted of hate crime in fatal stabbing of gay New York City dancer O’Shae Sibley

A jury found a New York man guilty of a hate crime for killing a gay dancer who was voguing at a Brooklyn gas station in 2023. But he was only found guilty of manslaughter, not murder, potentially avoiding a life sentence.After a trial in New York State Supreme Court, a jury found Dmitriy Popov guilty of first-degree manslaughter in the hate crime killing of O’Shae Sibley. That followed a three-week trial where Popov took the stand in his own defense to deny hurling anti-gay and racist slurs at Sibley, a Black man.Kings County District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said the verdict delivered some justice.“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,” Gonzalez said.Related: Defendant charged with killing gay NYC dancer denies hate crime motive at trial“By the jury’s verdict, this defendant will now be held accountable, and 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, and my office will do everything in its power to keep our vulnerable communities safe.”Popov claimed he acted in self-defense when he stabbed Sibley, an incident captured on video. But prosecutors said Popov and a group of friends instigated a violent clash, which Sibley tried to de-escalate, and that Popov taunted and jeered at the dancer before the conflict turned fatal. Popov was 17 at the time of the crime.Video showed Sibley dancing to Beyoncé’s Renaissance album shortly before the incident. The 28-year-old was killed on July 29, 2023, at a Midwood Mobil, where he and a group of three men were gassing up a vehicle. Police say evidence shows a conflict erupted between the men and ano