The Washington Examiner’s Freeman Klopott reports that At-Large D.C. Councilmember Phil Mendelson is pushing a new bill that would turn a third simple assault conviction into a felony assault, which carries harsher penalties. more ›

The tortured case of the beating death of gay Maryland man Tony Hunter has at last drawn to a close, as D.C. Superior Court Judge Rafael Diaz sentenced defendant Robert Hannah, 19, to 180 days in jail on Wednesday, the Washington Blade reports. The sentence represents the maximum jail time allowable for Hannah's conviction on a misdemeanor assault charge. Hannah will also get credit for time served, the Blade says, which is about two months already. Hunter's mother told the paper she was "not pleased" with the outcome. There has been much public outcry on the reduced charges to which Hannah eventually was allowed to plead guilty, but ultimately a grand jury did not find sufficient evidence to pursue a manslaughter charge. Friends of the victim have maintained that Hunter was beaten in an unprovoked attack that may have been an anti-gay incident. more ›

The Post is reporting that Robert Hannah has indeed pleaded guilty on simple assault charges in the beating death of Tony Hunter. Word of a plea agreement in the case first leaked out two weeks ago, which prompted D.C. Council member Phil Mendelson to fire off a letter to Acting U.S. Attorney Channing Phillips, urging him to take the case to trial. The deal, it turns out, came about because Hannah was arrested for shoplifting last month for allegedly trying to steal items from an H&M, according to the Post. In exchange for his guilty plea, the shoplifting charge was dropped. Hannah's case has been controversial since the original charges against him were reduced from a felony to misdemeanor, based on his assertion that he only hit Hunter, a gay Maryland man, because Hunter sexually assaulted him before the attack. A friend of Hunter's who was with him at the time has maintained that Hannah's actions were unprovoked. Hannah will be sentenced on Oct. 14. He faces a maximum of 180 days in jail. more ›