SACRAMENTO—A judge has declared a mistrial against a defendant accused of beating another man to death in what prosecutors described as a hate crime.
A Sacramento County Superior Court jury on Wednesday said it could not agree whether 22-year-old Aleksandr Shevchenko started a fight with Satender Singh because he believed he was gay.
The jury convicted Shevchenko of disturbing the peace and simple assault for throwing a bottle, both misdemeanors.
Singh died last July, four days after he was allegedly punched by Shevchenko's friend, Andrey Vusik. Vusik is believed to have fled the country and is wanted by the FBI.
The fight occurred after a daylong dispute at Lake Natoma between two groups described as "the Fijians" and "the Russians."
The case has highlighted tensions between Sacramento's gay community and members of a Slavic evangelical movement that opposes homosexuality.
Mistrial in Sacramento beating death hate crime
San Jose Mercury News, USA
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