Lawyer for Alleged O’Shae Sibley Killer Claims Client is a “Good Christian Boy”

The lawyer for the teen accused of killing O’Shae Sibley at a gas station last month because the Brooklyn dancer’s voguing offended his Muslim religion claimed his client is actually “a good Christian boy” with many Black friends. Much of the attack was caught on surveillance video.

Dmitry Popov, 17, has been charged as an adult with second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon in the death of 28-year-old O’Shae Sibley on Saturday, July 28. Popov is accused of stabbing Sibley after he and a group of friends used antigay and anti-Black slurs as they objected to the Brooklyn dancer’s vogueing, allegedly saying it offended their Muslim faith.

Popov pleaded not guilty to the charges at a court appearance in New York City on Monday. In a series of interviews with the media, his lawyer, Mark Pollard, denied the accusations his client used antigay and racist language during the incident.

Pollard instead described Popov as “a good Christain boy” to local Fox affiliate WPIX when responding to accusations his client is a Muslim or uttered the offensive language.

“I can tell you unequivocally, my client denies that," Pollard told the NY Daily News. “He’s not Muslim.”

“He has many Black friends, and his brother is married to a Black woman,” Pollard also told the NY Daily News. “Nothing in his background makes me think he hates Black people or the LGBTQ people, and he denies that."

At a press conference on Saturday, NYPD assistant chief Joe Kenny disputed those claims, instead alleging Popov taunted Sibley and his friend with anti-gay and anti-Black words.

“As the group began to yell at Mr. Sibley and his friends, they began to call them derogatory names and used homophobic slurs against him,” Kenny said at a press conference. “They also made anti-Black statements, all while demanding that they simply stop dancing.”

Witnesses reportedly accused Popov of saying “stop dancing here” and “we are Muslim” and “get that gay sh*t out of here” before the attack turned deadly.

Sibley was stabbed late in the evening of Saturday, July 28 at a gas station in Brooklyn. The professional dancer had been with friends voguing to Beyoncé when a group of men confronted them. After an escalating verbal dispute, a fight broke out and Popov alleged stabbed Sibley. Security cameras captured the incident on video.

Police said Popov stabbed Sibley once in the chest before fleeing the scene. Prosecutors in court on Monday claimed Popov shaved his hair in an attempt to disguise his appearance immediately after the stabbing. He is also alleged to have turned off his phone as well. He surrendered to authorities on Friday and remains in custody.