Chicago-based Larry Bland died violently two weeks ago and his mother suspects his one his chat room mates may have murdered him. This isn't the first time online sex has been brought up in a gay man's murder.

Michael Sandy met his killers online, as have a number of other men who have come up on this site. Never in our eons of reporting gay murders, however, have we heard a story start with such panicked condemnation.

From local Fox reporter Darlene Hill:

Log in, type the address, and enter a world unknown to many: a world full of men seeking sex with men.

Josephine Bland says her son was so consumed by that activity, she moved out of her own home.

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Justice has been served! Three of the four men involved in Michael Sandy's October, 2006 death have been sentenced to various times in jail.

Anthony Fortunato, the 21-year old who orchestrated the attack, will serve 7 to 21 years. The man who led Sandy to the beach, 20-year old John Fox, faces 13 to 21 years in prison. Meanwhile, the youth who chased Sandy into traffic, Ilya Shurov, will serve 17 1/2 years.

The first two men addressed Sandy's mourning parents to apologize for their gruesome actions, which involved posing as a sex-seeking man online, luring Sandy to a secluded area of Brooklyn and attacking him. Fearing for his life, Sandy ran into road, where a yet unidentified car slammed into the 29-year old.

He died a few days later.

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The Michael Sandy murder trial came to n unspectacular end yesterday.

The last accused killer, Ilya Shurov, copped a guilty plea over 2006's fatal attack on Sandy, who set out that fateful night looking for a hook-up.

Via NY Times:

The defendant, Ilya Shurov, 21, agreed to serve 17 1/2 years in prison. In exchange, prosecutors dropped charges of felony murder as a hate crime, which could have meant a life sentence.

“If there was no life sentence,” said a defense lawyer, Hermann P. Walz, “we would have rolled the dice.”

Hopefully Sandy's parents can rest easy at night knowing their son's killers are sleeping unsoundly in prison.

Anthony Fortunato will go to prison for his role in Michael Sandy's 2006 death.

Fortunato and his friends lured Sandy to a Brooklyn highway and attacked him. Fearing for his life, Sandy ran into traffic, where a thoughtless - and unidentified - vehicle hit the 29-year old. He died a few days later.

The jury apparently had a tough time deciding what to do with Fortunato, who came out during the trial. Eric Zaccar, the 46-year old jury foreman, said, I'm never going to feel good about this. Not one person on that jury believed that it was a hate crime." Zaccar and his peers convicted Fortunato of manslaughter as a hate crime.
The twelve men and women evidently struggled with Fortunato's verdict, particularly the hateful aspect: "…No one felt he had any hatred or animosity toward homosexuals… No one thought he was a bad kid."

Fortunato will be sentenced next month.

It's hard to believe, but it's been a year since Michael Sandy's attack. As one of his assailants, John Fox settles into his manslaughter sentence, Sandy's parents continue to mourn their lost son, who died on October 13, 2006.

Ezekiel Sandy stooped on a knee at his son's grave Monday, removed a withered bouquet and carefully wiped fallen leaves from the bronze plaque.

"Everybody misses you, Michael," he said, smiling after placing a fresh bouquet on the grave at a Long Island cemetery. "Yes, Michael, everybody misses you."
…
Every week he drives 45 minutes to this quiet corner of Pinelawn Cemetery in Farmingdale, L.I., near a slim beech tree and a plaque that says "In Loving Memory."

"People say 'Why do you go, you ought to move on,'" Ezekiel Sandy said, looking up. "I made a promise to myself."

A Brooklyn jury resumes deliberations today in the trial against Anthony Fortunato, who helped Fox and friends attack Sandy last October.

Justice! 21-year old John Fox will serve an undetermined sentence for his role in Michael Sandy's 2006 death. Fox and three friends were accused of luring the gay man to a Brooklyn park, where they attacked him. Fearing for his life, young Sandy ran into traffic, where a car struck him, leading to his ultimate death.

Though prosecutors sought a hate crime murder, the jury convicted Fox of manslaughter and robbery as a hate crime. He's yet to be sentenced, but the prescribed time falls between 5 and 15 years.

Speaking to the press after the verdict, Sandy's father, Ezekial told the press, "Things like this shouldn’t happen. Hopefully something greater will come out of it.” Openly gay New York City Speaker Christine Quinn says the verdict "sent a powerful message that hate crimes of any stripe have no place here in New York City.”

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Does John Fox deserve to go to jail for his alleged role in Michael Sandy's 2006 death? That's what a Brooklyn jury's deciding right now.

2o-year old Fox stands accused of luring the 29-year old gay man to a Brooklyn highway last year. Once Sandy arrived, Fox and three friends allegedly attacked Sandy, who ran into traffic, was hit by a car and later died.

Prosecutors say hate motivated Fox's attack. Fox's defense, John D. Patton, say he's innocent. What's more, police forced Fox's guilty confession.

The first reasonable doubt is you have statements by two detectives that claim those statements were made voluntarily by my client without coercion. I submit to you ladies and gentlemen that you have the right to throw all of those statements into the garbage can.

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• Rosie O'Donnell didn't have much to say about Britney Spears' baby drama. A confused looking Roseanne Barr, meanwhile, plans to give the pop tart a call, "I think she needs a mother. She needs help".

• GLAAD takes on NY Post, again:

The Post's Oct. 4 edition contained a Page Six item about an upcoming dating show on Fox Reality Channel (also a News Corporation property) called There’s Something About Miriam. The item referred to Miriam, a transgender woman from Mexico, using the slur “she-male.”
…
GLAAD contacted Page Six editor Richard Johnson this morning to discuss the description of Miriam. His e-mailed response read, “You're kidding me, aren't you? I would have used ‘chick with a dick’ but we're as [sic] family newspaper.”

Yeah, right.

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The Michael Sandy murder trials continued yesterday here in New York. After drilling 21-year Anthony Fortunato, prosecutor Anna-Sigga Nicolazzi turned her attention to 20-year John Fox yesterday. NYDN reports:

A suspect in the death of a gay man in Brooklyn could be convicted of murder as a hate crime based on his videotaped confession alone, a prosecutor told a jury Wednesday.

John Fox, 20, who is accused along with three of his pals of robbing 29-year-old Michael Sandy and chasing him to his death on the Belt Parkway, admitted nearly everything on videotape, she said.

The defendants allegedly lured Sandy to a gay beach via the Internet. "You can almost hear the grand ol' time these kids are having as they type away" on the computer, Assistant District Attorney Anna-Sigga Nicolazzi said in her closing argument.

Fox's lawyer insists authorities coerced the taped confession, which would make it inadmissible as evidence. That, however, will be up to the jury to decide.

Fox and Fortunato - as well as Ilya Shurov - face hate crime charges for luring Sandy to a secluded area and beating him. Sandy fled, ran into traffic and was hit by a car. He died less than a week later. Considering Fortunato's gay revelations, some legal experts wonder exactly how applicable a hate crime charge could be. We think it's definitely applicable…

Prosecutors grilled accused killer Anthony Fortunato yesterday. Fortunato and his chums John Fox and Ilya Shurov are on trial for their role in Michael Sandy's death last year.

The boys allegedly used the internet to lure Sandy to the Beltway Parkway, where the attempted to rob him. Fearing for his life, 29-year old Sandy ran into traffic, where an unidentified car hit him. He died less than a week later.

Fortunato's defense has relied on his reported homosexuality, which they hope will clear hate crime charges. Just yesterday we heard from a number of his gay tricks. Fortunato certainly wasn't feeling gay when Prosecutor's asked him to confirm his involvement in Sandy's death. Anna-Sigga Nicolazzi pushed, "And you were lucky enough to have Mr. Sandy come back online and make a sexual overture?".

"There was nothing lucky about it," replied Fortunato.

Nicolazzi snapped, "That's clear".

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A Brooklyn jury got an earful yesterday as Anthony Fortunato finally took the stand in the ongoing Michael Sandy murder trial.

Fortunato and two of his friends - John Fox and Ilya Shurov - stand accused of luring Sandy to a Beltway Parkway, attempting to rob him and administering a beating that led to Sandy's death. All three men face hate crime charges.

Fortunato's lawyer, however, contends that the 21-year old wasn't motivated by hate, but by lust. Fortunato's alleged homosexuality came up earlier in the trial, but got hung out during yesterday's proceedings. When asked to describe his sexuality, Fortunato told the court, I don’t know. I could be homosexual. A homosexual. Bisexual.” He went on to say, "I was living two complete double lives.”

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The Michael Sandy murder trial continues to take queer turns. Sandy died nearly a year ago after three Brooklyn men lured him to Belt Parkway. Once there, the men jumped Sandy, who ran into oncoming traffic, was struck and ended up on life support. His parents pulled the plug the day before his birthday.

The men in question - John Fox, Anthony Fortunato and Ilya Shurov - are charged with a hateful murder. Another accomplice, Gary Timmins, took a robbery plea and pointed the men out in court on Saturday. Fortunato, however, has become the sticky, suspicious center of the case. He and his lawyer claim the 21-year old shouldn't be charged with a hate crime because Fortunato's gay.

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It's no secret the Human Rights Campaign likes to think of itself as the biggest, most effective and ultimately best gay rights organization in America. The DC-based has pledged support to fighting for the rights of all American gays. Additionally, HRC often joins fights against other forms of injustice. As part of their mission, the non-profit lent its support to the Jena Six, a group of black teens jailed for allegedly beating up a white classmate.

The altercation came after months of rising racial tensions in the small Louisiana town of Jena. Many people, including the editors of this blog, feel that the Jena police force and school authorities were unfair in their handling of the case. The racial bias seems undeniable: white students were barely penalized for their racist actions - such as hanging nooses from a tree on school property - which only perpetuated historic tensions and led to the violent eruption. It could have been prevented, to be sure, but that doesn't make it any less violent. Nor does the violence make the justice system's harsh treatment and tenacity any less offensive.

Considering all the layers to this case, it's no surprise the Jena Six have become the hot activist ticket in recent weeks. And, as such, it's no surprise HRC stepped out to make their voice heard.

Gay journalist and hate crime survivor Chris Crain, however, wishes Solmonese and HRC had kept their mouths shut.

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• 'Nuff said.

• Turncoat John McCain on Larry Craig's return to the Senate: "I don’t think [his resignation] keeps him from attending the luncheon if he wants to.” Civil.

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The Michael Sandy murder trial took yet another twist yesterday. One of the defendants accused of attacking the New York designer claims he lured Sandy to Beltway Parkway to get lucky, not bloody.

21-year old Anthony Fortunato and his lawyer argue that Fortunato joined his three fiendish friends that fateful night to come out. In his opening statements, Fortunato's defense attorney Gerald DiChiara told the Brooklyn court,

The stakes in this case are too high for him to keep this a secret any longer…He'd been leading a secret life through the Internet, meeting men and having sex with them.

Fortunato allegedly hatched the scheme to get Sandy to an isolate place, where he hoped to smoke pot, gauge his chums' reactions and then come out to his friends.

Obviously…

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