Three Sentenced in Death of Gay Man
In a case that put sexual identity, hatred and ultimately forgiveness in leading roles, three men were sentenced to prison yesterday for their roles in chasing a gay man to his death in highway traffic in Brooklyn last year.
Their terms diverged: For the planner, 7 to 21 years. For the lure, 13 to 21. And for the aggressor, 17 1/2.
The numerical accounting covered a confounding set of circumstances. The defendants had played starkly different roles. One had claimed to be gay, just like the victim. Their juries had returned contradictory verdicts. And the very nature of hate had been drawn into question.
This was not simple arithmetic, it was algebra.
As the moment of sentencing drew near, the victim’s father, Zeke Sandy, stood up in court and lamented the killing.
“These hate crimes become a cancer; it’s a disease,