CONTACTStaffCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2024 Pride Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
A man charged with fatally stabbing a 15-year-old because she was a lesbian has pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter in a deal with prosecutors that will likely get him a prison sentence of 25 years or less. Richard McCullough had been charged with bias murder in the May 2003 killing of Sakia Gunn. That charge was dropped in exchange for Thursday's plea, which he seemed reluctant at first to give. "I stood in a defensive stance with my knife in my hand, and she lunged at me," McCullough told superior court judge Paul Vichness. The judge did not accept that explanation. He threatened to reject the plea and order that the case be sent to a jury trial, where McCullough could have been sentenced to prison for 118 years had he been found guilty on all the charges he faced. It was then that McCullough, 30, said he slashed Gunn. McCullough also pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and bias intimidation. Gunn and four other girls were waiting for a bus at 3:30 a.m. in downtown Newark, N.J., after a night in New York's Greenwich Village when McCullough and another man drove up and asked them if they wanted to go to a party. Officials say the girls responded that they were lesbians and were uninterested. The men began spewing homophobic insults, and then a physical fight began, authorities said. Gunn was stabbed as she came to the defense of a friend. The case galvanized the previously quiet gay and lesbian population in New Jersey's biggest city and led to a debate about bias crime laws. McCullough's lawyer at one point challenged the constitutionality of the state's 24-year-old statute, which gives stiffer penalties to people convicted of committing crimes because they don't like a victim's race, sexual orientation, or nationality. Vichness said he would sentence McCullough on April 21, most likely to a prison term between 20 and 25 years. He would have to serve 85% of of his sentence before being eligible for parole.
Want more breaking equality news & trending entertainment stories?
Check out our NEW 24/7 streaming service: the Advocate Channel!
Download the Advocate Channel App for your mobile phone and your favorite streaming device!
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
Here Are Our 2024 Election Predictions. Will They Come True?
November 07 2023 1:46 PM
17 Celebs Who Are Out & Proud of Their Trans & Nonbinary Kids
November 30 2023 10:41 AM
Here Are the 15 Most LGBTQ-Friendly Cities in the U.S.
November 01 2023 5:09 PM
Which State Is the Queerest? These Are the States With the Most LGBTQ+ People
December 11 2023 10:00 AM
These 27 Senate Hearing Room Gay Sex Jokes Are Truly Exquisite
December 17 2023 3:33 PM
10 Cheeky and Homoerotic Photos From Bob Mizer's Nude Films
November 18 2023 10:05 PM
42 Flaming Hot Photos From 2024's Australian Firefighters Calendar
November 10 2023 6:08 PM
These Are the 5 States With the Smallest Percentage of LGBTQ+ People
December 13 2023 9:15 AM
Here are the 15 gayest travel destinations in the world: report
March 26 2024 9:23 AM
Watch Now: Advocate Channel
Trending Stories & News
For more news and videos on advocatechannel.com, click here.
Trending Stories & News
For more news and videos on advocatechannel.com, click here.
Latest Stories
Ohio court temporarily blocks ban on gender-affirming care for trans youth
April 16 2024 5:33 PM
How library workers are defending books, democracy, and queer lives
April 16 2024 4:38 PM
Pride
Yahoo FeedKentucky couldn't pass a single anti-LGBTQ+ bill this session — and it's not alone
April 16 2024 2:35 PM
West Virginia can’t ban transgender athletes says federal court
April 16 2024 2:32 PM