Plea Bargain in Works in Tony Hunter Death

Over at the Washington Blade, Lou Chibbaro, Jr. reports that the man who has been charged with misdemeanor assault in the beating death of Tony Randolph Hunter may be about to negotiate a plea bargain that could reduce or eliminate the time he spends in jail. D.C. resident Robert Hannah had initially been charged with voluntary manslaughter, but the charges against him were later reduced, and now the suspect might end up not even serving the maximum 180 days in jail associated with that crime. Hunter, a gay Maryland man, died last year after an altercation with Hannah near the former BeBar gay bar in the Shaw neighborhood. The killing has been charged with controversy due to Hannah's claim that Hunter sexually assaulted him prior to the attack. A friend of Hunter's who was with him at the time has maintained that Hannah's actions were unprovoked.