Not Off the Hook: Charges Upheld Against Alleged Philly Gay Bashers

The alleged Philly gay bashers were back in court Thursday.

Despite the efforts of defense attorneys to dilute the case against the three defendants accused of the gruesome attack on a gay couple in Philadelphia last September, a Common Pleas Court judge upheld the original charges of aggravated assault and conspiracy Thursday, Philly.com reports.

Judge Frank Palumbo ruled against motions by the defense attorneys for accused assailants Kevin Harrigan, Phillip Williams and Kathryn Knott after reading more than 100 pages of testimony from the preliminary hearing where the trio was ordered to stand trial.

CBS Philly reports Harridan's defense attorney claimed the alleged attack was a mutual fight that was escalated after one of the victims said "what are you going to do about it?"

Williams' lawyer argued that his client was merely coming to the aid of a friend during the alleged melee.

Legal counsel for Knott said that one of the victims in the case wasn't sure if there was physical contact with his client.

According to the Philly Police blog, on September 11, 2014, at 10:45 p.m., two white males, aged 26 and 28, were on the 1600 block of Chancellor Street when they were approached by a group of unknown white males and females. As the group approached the complainants they started hurling anti-gay slurs at the pair. According to NBC Philadelphia, the victims said someone in the group asked whether the men were a couple. When they told them "yes," the group allegedly began to attack them, punching and kicking them in the face, head and chest.

"Three guys were on me taking turns on me," said the 26-year-old victim. "I had three, four guys on me. I turned around and saw his (my boyfriend's) head hit the ground, like hard," said the 28-year-old victim. "I was horrified. I thought he was dead."

During Thursday's court proceedings Assistant District Attorney Mike Barry said that while there were likely more parties than the accused involved in the assault and that the district attorney's office was "cautious in charging on the the three most serious actors, so they "went with what they could prove in court."