VIDEO: Aleksandr Shevchenko was found guilty even though he didn't throw a punch. - Investigators don't believe Shevchenko threw the fatal blow, but say he was involved in a hate crime. They alleged that he was part of the group that used racial and homophobic slurs toward Singh.
A man charged in connection with a deadly beating at Lake Natoma last year was found guilty on Wednesday. Aleksandr Shevchenko was found guilty of assault and disturbing the peace, but the jury deadlocked on hate-crime charges.
The family of the victim, Satender Singh, was not happy with the way the case turned out.
"It's been pretty rough considering we were his only family that he had here," said Singh's cousin, who did not wish to be identified. "He stayed with us."
Singh, who was 26 at the time of his death, was enjoying a picnic at Lake Natoma with friends last July. State attorneys say that a fight erupted between Singh's group and Shevchenko's group, leading to Singh's death.
Investigators don't believe Shevchenko threw the fatal blow, but say he was involved in a hate crime. They alleged that he was part of the group that used racial and homophobic slurs toward Singh.
"The charge he got really isn't all that much," said Singh's cousin. "I'd rather him have the hate crime than the other charge."
Others who support Singh's family aren't happy with the outcome either. "I think it goes to show that there are a lot of people that don't understand the definition of what a hate crime would be," said Ed Bennett of the Stonewall Democratic Club of Sacramento.
Detectives believe the man who killed Singh is still at large. Andrey Vusik is believed to have fled to Russia.
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