20-Year Sentence for Fatal Stabbing of Dancer O'Shae Sibley in Anti-Gay Attack

Dmitriy Popov, now 20, was sentenced to 20 years in prison on July 16, 2026, for the fatal stabbing of professional dancer O'Shae Sibley at a Midwood, Brooklyn gas station in 2023. Popov was convicted of manslaughter as a hate crime in June 2026. The attack occurred after Popov and his friends hurled homophobic slurs at Sibley, who was vogueing to Beyoncé at a gas pump. Sibley, a 28-year-old Black gay dancer from Philadelphia, performed with Philadanco and studied at Alvin Ailey Dance Theater. On July 29, 2023, after a beach day, Sibley and friends stopped at a gas station on Coney Island Avenue around 11 pm. Popov, then 17, used a five-and-a-half-inch blade to stab Sibley in the torso. Sibley died at Maimonides Hospital. Popov fled but turned himself in a week later. He initially pleaded not guilty, claiming self-defense. Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez stated the sentence aims to bring closure to Sibley's loved ones and the LGBTQ+ community.