Tag: LGBT violence

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Homophobic Tweets By Kathryn Knott, Alleged Philly Gay Basher, Will Be Admissible

Kathryn Knott (R) with Philip Williams and Kevin Harrigan who pled guilty to assaulting two gay men in Center City

Bad news for Kathryn Knott, who heads to trial next month on charges of aggravated assault during events back in September 2014 when two gay men were attacked and beaten to the point of one man’s jaw was shattered and had to be wired shut for months.

Her homophobic tweets she was happy to send out into the Twitterverse will come back to haunt her as they will be introduced as evidence to show her bias against gays.

From Philly.com:

A Common Pleas jury is expected to hear that Knott, 25, of Southampton, had posted the following on her @kathryn_knott Twitter account:

* “@krisssstenxoxo the ppl we were just dancing with just turned and mafe out with eatch other #gay #ew”

* “jazz flute is for little fairy boys”

* “@g0_nads he’s gonna rip me today for my hair..just wait. #dyke”

* “this camo song is gay like all the other brad paisley songs”

Knott faces trial on a count of conspiracy, two counts of aggravated assault and related offenses in the September 2014 attack on a gay couple in Center City. Jury selection is expected to take place Dec. 9. Opening statements would likely begin the next day.
Besides Knott, two others in her group, Philip Williams, of Warminster, and Kevin Harrigan, of Warrington, were also charged with aggravated assault, conspiracy and related offenses.

Last month, Williams, 25, and Harrigan, 27, accepted commonwealth offers to plead guilty before Common Pleas Judge Frank Palumbo. Williams pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and conspiracy and was sentenced to five years’ probation.

Harrigan pleaded to simple assault and conspiracy and was sentenced to three years’ probation. Both were ordered to perform community service at a center supporting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, to stay away from Center City while on probation and to pay restitution.

Knott turned down a plea offer and opted to take her case to trial.

Barry, in arguing Tuesday for Knott’s tweets to be introduced at her trial, told the judge: “She does not like gay people. This is why the fight happened. . . . She’s one of the people who jumped in and joined the assault.”

The prosecutor said an independent witness saw Knott run into the fight and punch Hesse.

He said the victims also heard her call out the word “faggot.”

Read more about the case here.

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Dallas: Another Attack In Oak Lawn Leaves Gay Man With Fractured Skull

Dallas’ LGBT community seems under siege by attackers in the city’s gayborhood of Oak Lawn which has seen over a dozen violent attacks in recent months.

Via Dallas Morning News:

Geoffrey Hubbard reportedly left work at the Tap House bar on Cedar Springs Road to have drinks with friends. Someone struck him in the head about 11:15 p.m. in the 3200 block of Knight Street, police said.

Hubbard rolled under a SUV parked nearby to protect himself.

“He grabbed my pocket and was trying to grab my wallet and I kicked him off and just yelled for help,”he told WFAA from his hospital room at Baylor University Medical Center.

An off-duty police officer happened to be driving in the area and helped Hubbard.

He remained in the ICU this morning with a skull fracture, according to WFAA.

Oak Lawn’s LGBT community was already on edge because of at least 10 attacks on people since September.

In one of the attacks, four men beat a man using a baseball bat after the gay pride parade and then robbed him. Police were investigating that attack as a hate crime because the suspects reportedly made “numerous derogatory statements referencing the victim’s perceived sexual orientation.”

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Two Male Philly Gay Bashers Agree To Plea Deal With No Jail Time

Two of the three young haters who were charged with the September 11, 2014, attack on two gay men in Philadelphia (leaving one man’s jaw shattered and wired shut for months) have copped to a plea deal with prosecutors.

From the Advocate:

Initial reports of the brutal attack suggested that as many as 15 people confronted the couple on the street in Philadelphia’s City Center neighborhood the night of September 11. In a December arraignment, Hesse testified that after a short exchange of words, Harrigan asked if he was “a dirty faggot,” which led to Hesse being shoved and shoving back, reported TV station WCAU.

“I approached him and said, ‘Maybe I am a dirty fucking faggot,’” Hesse said. “He pushed me, I pushed him.” The confrontation then escalated, and witnesses called 911.

The three were charged on September 24, 2014, with aggravated assault, simple assault and recklessly endangering another person. The two male attackers were also charged with conspiracy.

Kevin Harrigan and Philip Williams have now pled guilty to one count each of conspiracy and aggravated assault. They will serve no time in jail, instead agreeing to probation and community service.

According to WXPN’s Robert Drake, Harrigan will have to serve three years probation, and Williams five years. In addition, each will have to perform 200 hours each community service at an LGBT facility and are barred from the Central City area until their probation periods are over.

The third alleged attacker, and most famous due to her bratty rhetoric on Twitter, Kathryn Knott, rejected the plea deal and has chosen to fight in court.

She will head back to court on October 30th for a hearing where the judge will set a trial date.

You can read my past posts about the attack and the attackers here.

I’ll update as more info comes available.

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Philadelphia: Three Accused In Vicious Hate Crime Due In Court October 15

Kevin Harrigan (left), Philip Williams (center) and Kathryn Knott

It looks like October 15th will be the day Philadelphia will see if the three young haters who attacked and beat two gay men (leaving one with a shattered jaw for weeks)  in Center City will get justice or a slap on the wrist

From Philly.com:

Kevin Harrigan, 27, of Warrington; Philip Williams, 25, of Warminster; and Kathryn Knott, of Southampton, who turns 25 Friday, are charged with aggravated assault, conspiracy and related offenses in the Sept. 11, 2014, clash at 16th and Chancellor streets.

Michael Barry, chief of the district attorney’s central division bureau, said Thursday that there have been ongoing negotiations with the defense attorneys. He said he expects the three defendants to enter guilty pleas on Oct. 15, when the case is next listed in the Criminal Justice Center.

Barry, though, would not comment on the details of the plea offers or what charges he expects the defendants may plead guilty to. He said there is not yet any plea agreement in place.

Barry said that on Oct. 15, “either the defendants will plead guilty” or their case will be “spun out for trial.”

“I do expect them to plead guilty,” he said.

He said one main reason the three defendants have not been in court each time for pretrial conferences was because “as part of their bail, they are banned from Center City.”

Williams’ attorney, Fortunato “Fred” Perri Jr., confirmed afterward that he and his client “are currently reviewing a plea offer that’s been extended by the District Attorney’s Office.”

Asked if he expects Williams to plead guilty on Oct. 15, Perri said: “No decisions have been made yet.” But he added, “We think it’s a fair offer.”

Harrigan’s attorney, Joshua Scarpello, also confirmed that there have been plea negotiations.

“We’re trying to work it out,” he said. The terms of a possible plea are “not yet set in stone.”

He also said of the three defendants: “They have not been offered the same deal.” Each defense attorney, he said, is “trying to do the best for his client.”

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Two Corpus Christi Men Indicted For Brutal Hate Crimes Against Gay African-American Man

Federal hate crime indictments were returned Monday against two Corpus Christi men accused of beating and torturing a gay black man back in 2012.

In the days after the alleged attack, the victim told KRIS6 News he was targeted because of sexual orientation and race.

He detailed how he owed the men $5. The victim claims that even though he paid them the money, they still beat him, poured bleach in his eyes, stripped him naked and sexually assaulted him with a broom or mop and forced him to clean up blood in the home.

The victim says he was only able to escape several hours into the ordeal by jumping out a second story window.

Evidence presented by the FBI and the Corpus Christi Police Department led to the indictments against 32-year-old Jimmy Garza Jr. And 22-year-old Ramiro Serrata Jr for conspiracy to commit hate crimes, a hate crime violation based on race and color, a hate crime violation based on sexual orientation and using a firearm during the commission of a crime of violence.

If convicted, both face a maximum life sentence in federal prison.

(via kristv.com)

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Lawyers For Philadelphia Gay Bashers Request Continuance To Haggle Over Plea Deal

Philip R. Williams (left), Kathryn G. Knott (middle) and Kevin J. Harrigan (right)

According to The Advocate, the lawyers of the three young anti-gay haters accused of attacking two gay men in Philadelphia – leaving one of the men with a shattered jaw that had to be wired shut for months – have asked for a continuance in court as they pursue a plea deal to avoid jail time.

Reports say the District Attorney’s office has offered all three alleged assailants plea deals but has so far refused to make the details public. It is unknown whether the agreements would allow the three to avoid prison time and walk free.

Prosecutor Michael Barry told Philly Gay News this week that the continuance request was granted because “there are still some discussions regarding a non-trial disposition ongoing.”

The three accused – Kevin Harrigan, Kathryn Knott and Philip Williams – will be back in court on September 17th to face charges of aggravated assault, simple assault and conspiracy. I guess we’ll know by then if the young haters get to walk free.

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Jerusalem: 16 Year Old Stabbing Victim Dies from Pride Parade Attack

A 16 year old high school student who was one of the stabbing victims at the recent Jerusalem Pride parade has died from her injuries, reports Haaretz:

Police confirmed that the suspected stabber is Yishai Schlissel, a Haredi man from Modiin Ilit who stabbed three participants in the 2005 Gay Pride march. He was recently released from prison after serving a 10-year sentence.

Banki was a high-school student from Jerusalem, studying at the Hebrew University High School. She took part in Thursday’s parade to show solidarity with her LGBT friends. She is survived by her parents and three siblings; her family decided to donate her organs.

In a statement issued Sunday, her family said: “Our magical Shira was murdered because she was a happy 16-year-old – full of life and love – who came to express her support for her friends’ rights to live as they choose. For no good reason and because of evil, stupidity and negligence, the life of our beautiful flower was cut short. Bad things happen to good people, and a very bad thing happened to our amazing girl. The family expresses hope for a less hatred and more tolerance.” The family requests the public respect their privacy as they grieve.

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Video Of Stabbing Attack At Jerusalem Pride

Yesterday I posted about the stabbing attack at Jerusalem Pride by an Ultra-Orthodox Jew who had been imprisoned for years after a similar attack in 2005. Six parade attendees were injured; two critically.

Video has surfaced of the gruesome attack, and I think it’s important to see. Reading about violence is an entirely different visceral experience than actually SEEING it.

Folks should witness the actual blinding hatred that happens against LGBTs in real life.

Take a look below.

(via JMG)