A Brooklyn jury has found a young man guilty of manslaughter as a hate crime in connection with the fatal stabbing of O’Shae Sibley, a professional dancer who was attacked while voguing with friends at a gas station.
Twenty-year-old Dmitriy Popov was convicted Monday following a three-week trial in New York State Supreme Court in Brooklyn. Popov, who was 17 when the incident occurred, claimed during testimony that he acted in self-defense when he fatally wounded 28-year-old Sibley in 2023.
According to prosecutors, Popov was motivated by hatred, harassing and mocking Sibley before fatally attacking him when Sibley responded to the harassment.
The jury deliberated for one week before reaching their decision on the first-degree manslaughter conviction. Popov was also found guilty of second-degree menacing, second-degree aggravated harassment and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon. However, jurors cleared him of the more severe murder as a hate crime charge, which could have resulted in a life sentence.
In a statement, the district attorney expressed hope that the verdict would provide comfort to Sibley’s loved ones and the broader community as Pride Month begins, emphasizing that hatred has no place in Brooklyn.
The prosecutor noted that Sibley aspired to work as a dancer and choreographer, but his life was tragically ended by someone who “couldn’t stand the sight of O’Shae and his friends just being themselves and living their lives openly as black gay men.”
Defense attorney Mark Pollard announced plans to appeal the decision, calling it “probably bittersweet for both sides.”
“We’re happy he wasn’t guilty of murder but disappointed he wasn’t acquitted on the rest of the charges,” Pollard stated.
The defense lawyer indicated his client could receive between eight and 25 years behind bars for the manslaughter conviction.
Sentencing is set for June 30.
The deadly encounter unfolded on July 29, 2023, when Sibley and his companions stopped at the gas station following a day at the beach. While refueling their vehicle, one member of their group began dancing, which caught the attention of a nearby cluster of young men and teenagers. Members of that group proceeded to taunt and mock the dancers, some of whom were shirtless and wearing swimwear.
Trial evidence included security footage that captured the incident.
The confrontation lasted approximately two minutes before both groups began to separate. Sibley’s party returned to their vehicle while most of the other group went back into the gas station, with the exception of Popov.
Trial testimony revealed that Popov continued shouting insults while filming with his mobile device. Popov denied using any discriminatory language.
The situation escalated when Sibley approached Popov again, moving past someone who attempted to intervene between them. Popov claimed Sibley pursued and struck him in the head. While the security cameras did not capture the fatal moment, Popov testified he used a 5-and-a-half-inch blade against Sibley in what he described as self-defense.
“I was scared that I was going to get hurt,” Popov said during his testimony.
Sibley was a performer with the Philadelphia-based dance company Philadanco and studied with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s Ailey Extension program in New York. He incorporated dance into celebrating his LGBTQ+ identity through works including “Soft: A Love Letter to Black Queer Men,” choreographed by Kemar Jewel.
Approximately 200 people attended Sibley’s funeral service in his native Philadelphia. Various politicians and celebrities, including Beyoncé and Spike Lee, honored him through social media tributes.
Popov, who was born in the United States to parents of Russian heritage, was a high school senior when he was taken into custody.
