On trial in court today, accused Philly hate attack suspect Kathryn Knott offered jurors testimony that many are finding incredible.
The only remaining suspect and the only one to plead not guilty, wave a generous plea bargain deal, and go to court, Kathryn Knott again testified today in the Philly hate attack case. Knott is charged with aggravated assault, simple assault, and recklessly endangering another person (REAP), for the Sept. 11, 2014 attack against a same-sex couple. That attack, which likely would be a hate crime if Philadelphia had a hate crime statute, left one man with his jar wired shut for two months and another with minor injuries.
In court today, Knott told jurors that she did not do a single thing wrong. Nothing.
LOOK:Â Kathryn Knott’s Attorney Tells Jury She’s A ‘Wonderful Human Being’ And Didn’t Hit Philly Gay Couple
She claimed, despite the testimony of depositions of the victims, that no one, to her memory, called anyone a “faggot.”
In court, one of the victims had testified that one of their attackers, Kevin Harrigan, who pleaded guilty and took a plea deal, instigated the interaction that wound up becoming violent, by yelling to the couple, “What is that, your fucking boyfriend?â€
Harrigan also, according to earlier testimony from the victim, continued, saying, “I guess you’re a dirty fucking faggot then.”
Knott testified today she did not hear that interaction at all.
“She said she didn’t really see the incident, as employees in the FedEx store at 16th and Chancellor were banging on the windows and that drew her attention,” Dan Mcquade at Philadelphia magazine reports today. “She said she ran toward Williams in an attempt to prevent him from striking Andrew Haught. ‘I didn’t want anyone getting hurt,’ she said. ‘I was trying to calm the situation.'”
Knott today also testified, “I didn’t want to see anyone get hurt. … Once I saw Phil [Philip Williams, who also pleaded guilty and took a plea deal]Â connect with Mr. Haught [the victim], I turned and ran the other way,” according to Philly Voice.
At no point, defense witnesses have testified, did Knott throw any punches. The witnesses described her as someone standing on the periphery. Â
“The screams were loud,” Knott said from the stand. “It was horrifying to see what was happening. I had never been in that type of situation in my entire life. It was scary.”
But Knott testified that she did not hear anyone in the group use the slur “f—-t” at any point.
The issue of Knott’s tweets was also discussed in court today.
Knott’s tweets had included several which many see as anti-gay, including one that read:
“@krisssstenxoxo the ppl we were just dancing with just turned and mafe out with eatch other #gay #ew”
Philly.com reports on the cross-examination of Knott over that tweet:
Asked why she wrote “#gay #ew” in her tweet about the two men kissing, Knott testified: “I think it was taken out of context. It wasn’t meant to be derogatory.”
“Do you find gay people to be disgusting?” Barry asked.
“Absolutely not,” Knott said.
She also said the other tweets have been taken out of context.
Barry asked Knott why she used the word “gay” in her tweet about the song. Did she mean “gay” as in happy? No, Knott said.
“Gay” as in homosexual? Barry asked.
“No,” Knott replied.
Saying the word “gay” could also be used to mean “lame,” Barry asked if she meant it that way.
“Absolutely,” Knott said.
Knott agreed while “it could be taken as offensive,” she didn’t mean it that way.
WPVI adds that Knott “faces several years in prison if convicted of aggravated assault and other charges.”
Â
EARLIER:
Here Are The Anti-Gay Tweets A Judge Just Ruled Can Be Used Against Alleged Philly Hate Attacker
Breaking: Philly Hate Attack Defendants Expected To Take Plea Deal – But Details Not Released
‘All Three Defendants Maintain Their Innocence’: Philly Hate Attack Suspects Appear In Court
Â
Image of Knott by Victor Fiorillo via Twitter