Beaten, robbed and chased into traffic, Michael J. Sandy (a gay man) lay dying at Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center in Brooklyn. He would not last a week and died the day after he turned 29.
Prosecutors have said the gay man, Michael J. Sandy, was the victim of a hate crime, a distinction that can result in a stiffer sentence. Prosecutors contend that through an online gay chat room, Mr. Sandy was lured to a parking lot in Sheepshead Bay last fall, chased into traffic on the Belt Parkway and struck by a car. He was removed from a respirator and died on Oct. 13, five days after the attack and one day after his 29th birthday.
Mr. Fortunato (accused) had bragged to Mr. Timmins (accused) of robbing gay men in the past, of luring one man to a Comfort Inn, telling him to undress in the bathroom and then stealing his money and belongings.
Before the hearing ended for the day, defense lawyers sought to preclude other pieces of evidence, including hospital records that make reference to assault and robbery. A lawyer for Mr. Fortunato, Gerald J. Di Chiara, argued that the cause of Mr. Sandy’s hospitalization was simple and plain. “He was clearly there,” Mr. Di Chiara said, “because he was hit by a car.”
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