Guilty Plea in Robbery Hate Crime Case
A man charged with planning to rob a gay man in a hate crime that resulted in his death has entered a guilty plea.
Ilya Shurov agreed to plead guilty to manslaughter and attempted robbery as hate crimes, the New York Times reports. He had originally been charged with felony murder as a hate crime.
Shurov, 21, was accused of joining with three other youths to lure Michael Sandy to a secluded spot where he could be robbed. Sandy died after he ran into traffic to escape Shurov’s punches, witnesses said.
Shurov has agreed to a sentence of 17 1/2 years in prison.
Prosecutors claimed the group chose to rob Sandy because they believed a gay man would be an easier target. Defense lawyers had claimed the defendants should not be charged with hate crimes because they had no animosity to gay people.
Another co-defendant in the case pleaded guilty to attempted robbery as a hate crime. Two others were convicted of manslaughter and attempted robbery as hate crimes last month.
