The man convicted in the fatal stabbing of gay Black dancer O’Shae Sibley has been sentenced to 20 years in prison, nearly three years after the killing that shocked New York City and drew national attention.
Dmitriy Popov, now 20, was sentenced Thursday after a jury convicted him last month of first-degree manslaughter as a hate crime, along with additional charges including menacing, aggravated harassment, and criminal possession of a weapon. The court also ordered five years of post-release supervision.
Sibley, 28, was a professional dancer who was fatally stabbed on July 29, 2023, at a Mobil gas station in Brooklyn after he and his friends stopped for gas while returning from a day at the beach. Prosecutors said the group had been dancing and listening to music when they were confronted by Popov and others, who allegedly shouted homophobic and anti-Black slurs before the confrontation escalated. Sibley was stabbed once in the chest and later died from his injuries.
During the trial, Popov claimed he acted in self-defense and denied using hateful language. Jurors ultimately rejected that defense, finding that the attack was motivated by bias against Sibley because he was a gay Black man.
At Thursday’s sentencing, members of Sibley’s family and friends delivered emotional victim impact statements describing the lasting pain caused by his death. Popov also addressed the court, apologizing and saying he never intended to kill anyone.
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said Sibley was “simply being himself” when he was targeted. He added that everyone should be able to live openly and safely regardless of who they are or whom they love, and said the sentence sends a message that bias-motivated violence will be prosecuted aggressively.
Sibley’s killing sparked nationwide vigils and tributes from the LGBTQ+ community, dancers, civil rights advocates, and public figures. His death became a symbol of the continuing threat of anti-LGBTQ violence in the United States, and Thursday’s sentencing marked the conclusion of one of the country’s most closely watched hate crime prosecutions in recent years.
