- Dmitriy Popov convicted of manslaughter as a hate crime for stabbing O’Shae Sibley
- Sibley was attacked after dancing at a gas station, with Popov using racist and homophobic slurs
- Jury rejected Popov’s self-defense claim, finding the killing was motivated by bias against Sibley’s race and orientation
Some of you may have forgotten about this case, others may remember it painfully. We assure you that we remember and today, justice has arrived.
According to reporting by AP News, a New York jury has convicted 20-year-old Dmitriy Popov in the 2023 killing of O’Shae Sibley, the Black gay dancer whose death sparked national outrage and renewed concerns about anti-LGBTQ violence.
Following a three-week trial in Brooklyn Supreme Court, jurors found Popov guilty of first-degree manslaughter as a hate crime, along with second-degree menacing, second-degree aggravated harassment, and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon. He was questionably acquitted of the more serious charge of murder as a hate crime, which could have carried a life sentence. Popov is scheduled to be sentenced on June 30 and still faces up to 25 years in prison.
BOSSIP previously reported on the case stemmed from a July 29, 2023 confrontation at a Brooklyn gas station. Sibley, 28, and several friends had stopped for gas after a day at the beach. While listening to music, including songs by Beyoncé, members of the group began dancing. Prosecutors said Popov and others confronted the men, hurling racist and homophobic slurs allegedly saying, “Get that gay s–t out of here”. To which Sibley allegedly replied, “You don’t know us, we’re just having a good time and enjoying our lives. It’s all respect, we’re allowed to be here just like you.” According to trial testimony, Sibley attempted to calm the situation, telling the group that they were simply enjoying themselves and had a right to be there.
Prosecutors argued that Popov continued to antagonize Sibley and his friends, recording them on his phone and making hateful remarks. Evidence presented at trial showed that Popov eventually pulled a knife, threatened one of Sibley’s friends, and then stabbed Sibley in the chest, puncturing his heart. Sibley was pronounced dead shortly afterward at a nearby hospital.
The defense maintained that Popov acted in self-defense. Popov testified that Sibley punched him and that he feared he would be seriously injured. Fortunately, no one on the jury believed that bulls**t. Prosecutors countered that Popov had provoked the confrontation and that the stabbing was motivated by bias against Sibley’s race and sexual orientation, as evidenced by the hate speech spewed prior to the altercation. The jury ultimately rejected the self-defense argument and agreed that the killing constituted a hate crime.
Sibley was a professional dancer who performed with Philadelphia’s Philadanco dance company and studied through the Alvin Ailey Extension program in New York. His death drew widespread attention, with tributes from celebrities including Beyoncé and filmmaker Spike Lee. Following the verdict, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said he hoped the conviction would provide some measure of solace to Sibley’s family, friends, and the LGBTQ+ community, adding that “hate has no place in Brooklyn.”
