Philadelphia Gay Bashing Suspects Plead Out; Kathryn Knott Rejects Deal

A judge today accepted the deals offered to two men who entered guilty pleas in exchange for no jail time in the beating of a gay couple in Philadelphia previous year.

Williams and Harrigan both addressed the court briefly, turning briefly to victims Zachary Hesse and Andrew Haught in the front row, and both of them denied the attack was about sexual orientation. One victim sustained facial injuries, including an orbital fracture and wired jaw after being punched in the face, head, and chest.

Philip Williams and Kevin Harrigan both pled guilty to lesser charges to avoid a trial and potential jail time; Kathryn Knott, however, rejected her plea and will go to a jury trial in two weeks.

Williams pled guilty to one charge of Aggravated Assault and one charge of Conspiracy.

Under the terms of the agreement, Kevin Harrigan, of Warrington, and Phillip Williams, of Warminster, will be on probation, must pay restitution, are banned from Center City and must volunteer at an LGBTQ organization for 200 hours, the Philadelphia District Attorney said. Harrigan’s ban is for three years; his restitution, $314.

“Kathryn has always denied touching anybody”, Busico said.

Despite some officials calling the attack a hate crime, the beating did not result in any official hate crime charges because Pennsylvania’s hate crime law does not cover LGBT identities or sexual orientation.

The men said yes they were, and the group began to attack them by kicking and punching them all over their bodies. “They did not want to relive the horror of that night on the witness stand. Zach and Andy wanted to show mercy and use this as an opportunity to educate the three suspects and the public”. Rather, Pray said, justice will be served once negative attitudes change toward LGBT men and women. A trial date has not been selected. She is being charged with two charges of Aggravated Assault, two charges of Simple Assault, two charges of Recklessly Endangering Another Person and Conspiracy.

Last year’s attack sparked an uproar from supporters of equal rights for the LGBT community.

James Boyle is a freelance writer.