The mother of a Brooklyn dancer killed in an alleged homophobic hate crime prepared for his funeral Monday as the suspect appeared in a courtroom for teen defendants.
Onetha Sibley told Gothamist she was going to view the body of her son, O’Shae Sibley, one last time before the funeral at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday at The Met Philadelphia, a concert venue not far from where he grew up.
The killing of O’Shae, 28, has prompted marches, vigils and demonstrations. Beyoncé posted a tribute on her website that read “Rest in Power O’Shae Sibley.” Onetha said she was grateful for the outpouring of support.
“I love how they loving on my boy,” she said.
Onetha had attended an event Saturday honoring her son.
“It was really nice, they chanted his name,” she told Gothamist by phone. “I’m like, ‘Baby, look what you’ve done, you really touched a lot of people.’ I didn’t know it was this big.”
Meanwhile, the accused killer, Dmitriy Popov, 17, was ordered held without bail on charges of second degree murder as a hate crime after appearing in the youth part of Brooklyn criminal court.
A criminal complaint released by the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office corroborated witness accounts to Gothamist that the fatal stabbing at a Mobil gas station in Midwood began as an argument over how Sibley and his friends were dancing. Sibley was “vogueing” to Beyoncé’s “Renaissance” album, according to a witness.
Prosecutors say Popov was part of a group that told Sibley to stop, saying the dancing offended their Muslim faith. Popov also made a homophobic insult before stabbing Sibley in the chest, according to the complaint.
Popov is charged as an adult and could face a sentence of 20 years to life if convicted. He pleaded not guilty. His attorney, Mark Henry Pollard, told Gothamist that Popov is not Muslim.
“He’s a 17-year-old Christian boy, I’m not sure where the Muslim angle came in,” Pollard said.
“He goes to church, high school senior, two jobs,…
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