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First Conviction Reached in Michael Sandy Murder Trial
By
Dave Hogarty
Published Oct 6, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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By
Dave Hogarty
Published Oct 6, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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John Fox was found guilty of manslaughter in the killing of Michael Sandy. Fox was convicted on charges of a hate crime and manslaughter, but not murder, for chasing Michael Sandy onto the Belt Parkway where he was fatally struck by a car. Three men are on trial for Sandy's killing: John Fox, Ilya Shurov, and Michael Fortunato. A fourth man, Michael Timmins, pleaded guilty to a lesser charge in exchange for his testimony. Fox was being tried alongside Fortunato, albeit with separate juries. Fortunato's defense involves a claim that his innocence is tied to his newly-announced gay status.
John Fox drove to a remote location in Brooklyn with Sandy for a meeting orchestrated by Fortunato. Upon arrival, Sandy was allegedly attacked by the group and chased onto the Belt Parkway, where he was struck by a car. Fox's lawyer argued that the real criminal in the case was the driver of the car that struck Sandy. He also argued that Fox was simply trying to rob Sandy, in the manner that a concession worker at Yankee Stadium robs a customer by charging $10 for a beer.
The convicted man's father previously stressed that his son was neither gay, nor a racist [Sandy was black]. Yesterday he said that if he could trade his life for Michael Sandy's, he'd be glad to do so. 20-year-old John Fox will be sentenced October 24th. Sandy's parents were present yesterday for the announcement. The Times writes that "they were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied." The jury deciding Michael Fortunato's verdict will reconvene after the weekend.
Tagged
belt parkway
brooklyn
crime
fox
gay
hate crime
Ilya Shurov
John Fox
Michael Fortunato
Michael Sandy
Michael Timmins
murder
racist
the times
yankee stadium
Dave Hogarty
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