A mistrial has been declared in the murder trial of Aleksandr Shevchenko, accused of the anti-gay hate crime killing of Satendar Singh in Sacramento in July, 2007. 
Singh, 26, died as a result of head injuries received during an attack in which Shevchenko used racial and anti-gay slurs.
According to The Sacramento Bee:
After more than four days of tense deliberations, the jury of seven women and five men could not agree on whether the defendant was involved in the confrontation because he believed Singh was gay. The panel emerged before noon and told Judge Gary S. Mullen that they were "irrevocably deadlocked" on the hate- crime allegation that Aleksandr Shevchenko, 22, faced for his role in last year's fight. The Sacramento man was found guilty on two misdemeanor counts: disturbing the peace and simple assault for throwing a bottle. He could face a maximum sentence of about nine months in jail when he returns to court on July 11. It remained unclear Wednesday whether the District Attorney's Office would re-try Shevchenko on the controversial hate-crime charge.
Continue reading "Mistrial in California Hate Crime Case"
