An unhinged anti-white and anti-Jewish bigot who slugged a TikTok influencer in an notorious caught-on-video Manhattan assault was convicted on hate-crimes fees Wednesday and now faces as much as three years in jail.
Skiboky Stora, who has run long-shot races for NYC mayor and claimed to be the “nice nice grandson of Marcus Garvey,” was discovered responsible of assault within the third diploma as a hate crime following a bench trial in entrance of Manhattan Supreme Court docket Decide Josh Hanshaft.
The choose wanted simply half-hour to ship the responsible verdict after the four-week trial, at which Stora acted as his personal lawyer and put up a rambling, nonsensical protection.
He was additionally convicted of stalking within the third diploma as a hate crime and aggravated harassment within the second diploma.
Stora, who wore a tie together with his personal identify on it in courtroom, was instantly remanded by the choose — and will probably be sentenced on April 14.
The trial, which included Stora taking greater than 60 rest room breaks and fascinating in different shenanigans, wrapped up Wednesday as he and Manhattan prosecutors made closing arguments.
“I by no means did something racist to anyone, and I by no means did something discriminating in opposition to anyone, and I by no means tried to injure anyone,” Stora mentioned in his quick remarks.
When his transient speech wrapped up in slightly below quarter-hour, the choose requested Stora if that was all he needed to say, to which he bizarrely replied “God Bless America” thrice.
Prosecutors have mentioned that Stora assaulted, stalked and harassed strangers on the streets of the Massive Apple in a sequence of hate crimes concentrating on white individuals, jewish individuals and girls.
Manhattan Assistant District Legal professional Edward Smith argued that Stora — who he mentioned hates white individuals — shouldn’t be “credited by the courtroom” as a result of he constantly lied all through the trial and denied any involvement within the hate crimes.
“The defendant didn’t choose the victims on this case as a result of they had been in his manner or as a result of they ran into him,” Smith mentioned.
“The defendant chosen his victims as a result of they had been white, honest skinned — as a result of they had been girls and since they had been Jewish,” he added.
At trial, prosecutors confirmed a trove of Stora’s self-recorded movies the place he may be seen shouting hate speech in opposition to white individuals.
Stora, who testified in his personal protection, got here up with a lot of excuses as to why he couldn’t be the perp behind the hate crimes — regardless of caught-on-camera video of the assaults clearly depicting a person who gave the impression to be Stora.
Stora, who appeared with a clearly shaven head at trial, repeatedly claimed that he couldn’t have dedicated any of crimes as a result of the perp had hair in contrast to him.
When requested a number of instances about whether or not his canine — a “black and white” cocker spaniel named Shirleylittlebutt — was the pooch current in a number of of the assaults, Stora argued that it wasn’t his canine as a result of video confirmed a “white and gray” canine.
At trial, witnesses testified about their random run-ins with Stora — together with TikTok influencer Halley McGookin, who testified about being punched within the face by the goon on March 25, 2024
McGookin, also referred to as Halley Kate with greater than 1.6 million followers, mentioned that she was so rattled after being slugged that she instantly apologized to her attacker.
The TikTok influencer advised her attacker she was sorry “as a result of he was screaming at me, utilizing lots of profanity, saying it was my fault,” she mentioned.
McGookin was on her strategy to document a podcast when she was attacked close to West seventeenth Avenue close to Seventh Avenue round 10:20 a.m. she testified.
Different proof included a caught-on-camera verbal assault at a white Jewish couple inside a sixteenth Avenue constructing after that they had made eye contact with him on the road as he was tearing down Israeli hostage posters in November 2023.
“I promise you white boy, the Muslims are coming from you,” Stora yelled within the surprising caught-on-camera rampage.
“You’re going to die — Die Jew Die!” Stora continued earlier than leaving the constructing.
Prosecutors mentioned that Stora repeatedly “sees himself above all girls, particularly white girls” and that his Instagram movies confirmed a basic hate in opposition to whiteness.
