A Manhattan jury found four women guilty of gang assault for attacking a man outside the IFC Center last summer. The man, Dwayne Buckle of Queens, said that the group of lesbians attacked him because he was straight, while the women contended Buckle had used slurs and threw a cigarette at them – and that another man stabbed him.
Patreese Johnson, who claimed Buckle said, “I’ll f— you straight” to her, was found not guilty of second degree attempted murder, but was found guilty of first degree assault. She faces 5-25 years of prison time, while Renata Hill, Terrain Dandridge, and Venice Brown were found guilty of second degree gang assault, which means 3.5-15 years of prison time. Three of their friends pleaded guilty before trial to lesser counts.
The women were jailed without bail, and the AP reports that State Supreme Court Justice Edward McLaughlin explained to their lawyers, “There’s simply no point in talking. They’re out of state residents facing mandatory prison time.” The women, who are from NJ, called out, “No-oo!†“Mommy!†and “I didn’t do it!†as they were led from the courtroom, and the Post reports that “some of their friends and family members threw water bottles and spat at photographers.” Buckle told the Daily News, “I’m stabbed and I have a scar that will be with me for the rest of my life. They have their jail sentences, but they’ll be out soon. This is what I get for being a nice guy.” Uh, nice guy who called them names, though.
The women’s lawyers said they will appeal and defense lawyer Susan Tipograph added, “These are seven decent and nice young women who came into the city to have a good time. They were hit upon by an abusive homophobic man. Now they’re all going to state prison.”
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
