Dmitriy Popov, charged as an adult with second-degree murder as a hate crime, testified that he acted in self-defence when he fatally stabbed gay dancer O'Shae Sibley outside a Brooklyn gas station in 2023. Popov denied hurling racist and anti-gay slurs before the stabbing. Prosecutors alleged Popov and his group hurled slurs at Sibley’s group, then pulled out a knife and stabbed Sibley in the heart. Popov admitted the stabbing in open court but disputed key parts of the prosecution’s account, claiming Sibley and his friends surrounded his group and that Sibley punched him before he stabbed. Prosecutors challenged his credibility, and surveillance footage was cited as inconsistent with his account.
"“I was scared that I was going to get hurt,” Popov testified, according to The New York Times. Popov denied hurling racist and anti-gay slurs before fatally stabbing Sibley in 2023. Prosecutors have charged him with second-degree murder as a hate crime. Popov admitted in open court to the stabbing, but denied key parts of the prosecution's account."
"Prosecutors have charged him with second-degree murder as a hate crime. Investigators said Popov pulled out a knife and stabbed Sibley in the heart. Police alleged Popov and his friends hurled slurs at Sibley's group. The stabbing was captured on video at a Brooklyn gas station. Sibley and his friends had stopped there after a day at the beach."
"Popov claimed Sibley and his friends surrounded his group, claiming Sibley punched him in the head before he stabbed him in self-defence. “So it's your testimony that they all came in here and lied to this jury, but you're the one who is telling the truth?” prosecutor Sarah Jafari asked. “Yes,” Popov responded, adding that he had not used any slurs."
"His account is allegedly inconsistent with the surveillance video. The footage showed him remaining outside as his friends went back in. He then shouted at Sibley's group and charged towards them. Surveillance footage showed Sibley dancing to Beyoncé's Renaissance album shortly before the incident. Police alleged Popov and his friends hurled slurs at Sibley's group."
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