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 ›

At-large D.C. Council member Phil Mendelson today sent a letter to acting U.S. Attorney Channing Phillips urging him to "please reconsider and proceed to trial" with Robert Hannah, the man accused in the beating death of Tony Hunter. Hannah has reportedly been in talks to reach a plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney's Office. more ›

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. more ›

Written by DCist Contributor Shauna Miller more ›

Written by DCist contributor Shauna Miller more ›

The MPD announced today that they arrested Robert Hanna, 18, and charged him with voluntary manslaughter in connection with the September 7 attack of two gay men near Be Bar. One of the victims, Tony Hunter, died ten days later as a result of his injuries. The arrest comes one week after MPD announced they were on the lookout for Hanna. The wanted poster described him as an 18-year-old "who is known to frequent the area around 7th and O Streets, NW." more ›