Gayborhood murder case attorney quits after being stiffed
Family Portrait: Mark Burrell in his corner of the sky PAGE 23
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Gay TV goes online PAGE 21
Local reaction to Justice Scalia’s death PAGE 5
Cheers for the cheerleaders PAGE 28
Feb. 19-25, 2016
Since 1976
PGN Philadelphia Gay News HONESTY • INTEGRITY • PROFESSIONALISM
Vol. 40 No. 8
Knott’s attorney asks judge to reconsider sentence
Sims drops Congressional bid By Jen Colletta jen@epgn.com Openly gay state Rep. Brian Sims (D-182nd Dist.) has dropped out of the Second District Congressional race. Sims’ campaign sent out an email shortly before Tuesday’s 5 p.m. deadline for filing nomination petitions, which he did not submit. According to the State Department candidate database, nomination petitions for the Second District Congressional seat were submitted by incumbent Chaka Fattah and challengers Dwight Evans, Daniel Muroff and Brian Anthony Gordon. Sims announced last year he would challenge the embattled Fattah. A spokesperPAGE 14
Man shot near Gayborhood By Paige Cooperstein paige@epgn.com A 38-year-old man was shot in the right forearm early Tuesday morning while walking near the Gayborhood with another man. He’s listed in critical condition at a city hospital. Philadelphia police said investigators are looking for a roughly 6-foot-tall black male with a medium complexion, dressed in all black and carrying a semi-automatic handgun. The suspect was last seen heading eastbound on Manning Street from 15th Street. Police said it was an attempted robbery but don’t have further information on a motive. Asked if investigators are considering antigay animus in the shooting, Officer Tanya Little, police spokesperson, told PGN, “I’m sure they’ll look at every aspect of it.” “Right now in the investigation it’s still too early to tell what a motive may be,” she said. PAGE 14
LEATHER LEADERS: The Bike Stop was at capacity Saturday night for the Ms. and Mr. Philadelphia Leather contest, with Alaina Hummel and Rudy Flesher ultimately taking home the titles. The pair won custom-made back patches by Wolfstryker Leather and gift certificates to Passional Boutique and will compete at the national level. The contest was co-produced by The Bike Stop and Philadelphians MC and co-hosted by Carlota Ttendant and Tank Teachworth. Organizers gave special thanks to Philadelphia Voices of Pride, Michael Albany Photography, The Tactile Group, Passional, Wolfstryker Leathers and William Way LGBT Community Center. Photo:
Ten days after being ordered to prison, Kathryn Knott is asking a judge to reconsider her sentence. Bill Brennan, who has taken over Knott’s defense from former counsel Louis Busico, filed a motion for reconsideration Wednesday. It is now up to Common Pleas Judge Roxanne Covington to decide whether to grant a resentencing hearing. On Feb. 8, Covington sentenced Knott to five-10 months in prison. She was taken immediately to Riverside Correctional Facility. Knott was convicted in December of simple assault, conspiracy to commit simple assault and two counts of reckless endangerment in connection with the September 2014 attack on gay couple Andrew Haught and Zachary Hesse. Her co-defendants, Philip Williams and Kevin Harrigan, pleaded guilty last year, but she rejected a plea deal and took her case to trial. Williams and Harrigan are both serving probation and are required to perform community service. The parity among their sentences serves
as part of the basis for the request for reconsideration, Brennan said. “In multi-defendant cases, courts historically have tried to show some commonality, some parity of sentences. The individuals in this matter who actually physically inflicted the harm, the striking blows, received sentences of non-incarceration,” Brennan said. “We understand that Ms. Knott exercised her right to trial but, in the final analysis, all three defendants have been adjudged guilty — two by pleas and one by a verdict — so we are going to ask the court to reconsider partially based on a disparity in the punishment imposed.” The resentencing request also asks for a sentence that is more focused on rehabilitation, as opposed to punishment. “Sentencing encompasses many facets, one of which is punishment, but we’d like to have more focus on the potential for the defendant to be rehabilitated,” Brennan said. “In this case, the individual has a clean background, no prior contact with the justice system, and is serving prison time for a mid-level misdemeanor.”
Michael Albany/Michael Albany Photography
Lesbian judge suspended without pay By Timothy Cwiek timothy@epgn.com The state Court of Judicial Discipline has temporarily suspended Municipal Court Judge Dawn A. Segal, an open lesbian, without pay. Prior to her suspension, effective Feb. 2, Segal had been on limited duty because it was alleged that she had inappropriate, one-sided conversations about three court cases pending before her. On Jan. 28, a three-judge panel of the Court of Judicial Discipline held a day-long hearing on the matter. The court can impose discipline ranging from a reprimand to PAGE 14
QUEEN OF THE MOUNTAIN: Out composer Jennifer Higdon (center) was welcomed to raucous applause after the Feb. 10 performance of her debut opera, “Cold Mountain,” at the Academy of Music. LGBT opera lovers enjoyed the show, followed by a chat with hometown girl Higdon and Opera Philadelphia’s vice president of community programs Michael Bolton, thanks to special Out at the Opera pricing offered through the Academy and William Way LGBT Community Center. “Cold Mountain” marked its East Coast premiere through Sunday. Photo: Scott A. Drake