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District of Columbia

Sentencing postponed in D.C. gay murder case

Victim stabbed 45 times in 2019

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Vongell Lugo was stabbed to death on Jan. 6, 2019. (Photo courtesy of GoFundMe)

The sentencing in D.C. Superior Court for a man who pleaded guilty on Feb. 3 to the Jan. 6, 2019, murder of gay corporate manager Vongell Lugo has been postponed from April 14 to Aug. 4 at the request of the attorney representing defendant Collin J. Potter.

Potter, who was 26 at the time of the murder, allegedly stabbed Lugo at least 45 times in the head, neck, and torso with a kitchen knife at Lugo’s apartment in Northwest D.C., according to police charging documents. The alleged stabbing took place shortly after Lugo invited Potter home after the two met at the Black Whiskey bar at 1410 14th St., N.W. on the night of the murder, the charging documents say.

Court documents show that Potter pleaded guilty to second-degree murder as part of a plea bargain deal offered by prosecutors in which a first-degree murder charge and multiple other charges were dropped. The plea deal also includes a commitment by prosecutors with the Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia to ask the judge to hand down a sentence of between 14 and 16 years of incarceration.

Under D.C. law, second-degree murder carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison. The plea deal offered by prosecutors, however, makes it clear that it will be up to Superior Court Judge Marisa Demeo, who’s presiding over the case, to decide what the sentence should be.

ā€œAround 4:20 a.m. the defendant pulled Mr. Lugo’s naked body out into the hallway, where Mr. Lugo’s body was found and the defendant was discovered by Metropolitan Police Department officers, standing naked, uninjured, and covered in Mr. Lugo’s blood,ā€ a document prepared by prosecutors and which Potter signed as part of the plea deal states.

Court records show police arrested Potter at the scene on Jan. 6, 2019, and he has been held in jail without bond since that time. The U.S. Attorney’s office has declined to say why prosecutors chose to offer the plea deal rather than take the case to trial on the first-degree murder charge.

Court observers have said prosecutors sometimes offer plea deals like this one when they are uncertain whether they can obtain a first-degree murder conviction from a jury in a trial.

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District of Columbia

Little Gay Pub to host April 25 celebration of life for Patrick Shaw

School teacher, D.C. resident praised for ā€˜warmth, humor, kindness’

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Patrick Shaw (Photo via GoFundMe)

Co-workers and friends will hold a celebration of life for highly acclaimed schoolteacher and D.C. resident Patrick Shaw beginning at 5:30 p.m. Friday, April 25 at The Little Gay Pub 1100 P St., N.W.

Little Gay Pub co-owner and Shaw’s friend, Dusty Martinez, said Shaw passed away unexpectedly on April 19 from a heart related ailment at the age of 60.

ā€œPatrick touched so many lives with his warmth, humor, kindness, and unmistakable spark,ā€ Martinez said. ā€œHe was a truly special soul – funny, vibrant, sassy, and full of life and we are heartbroken by his loss.ā€

In an Instagram posting, Shaw’s colleagues said Shaw was a second-grade special education teacher at the J.F. Cook campus of D.C.’s Mundo Verde Bilingual Public Charter School.

ā€œPatrick brought warmth, joy, and deep commitment to Mundo Verde,ā€ his colleagues said in their posting. ā€œHis daily Broadway sing-alongs, vibrant outfits, and genuine love for his students filled our community with energy and laughter.ā€

The posted message adds, ā€œPatrick was more than a teacher; he was a light in our school, inspiring us all to show up with heart, humor, and kindness every day. His spirit will be deeply missed.ā€

The Washington Blade is preparing a full obituary on Patrick Shaw to be published soon. 

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District of Columbia

D.C. police seek help in identifying suspect in anti-gay threats case

Victim threatened with assault, called ā€˜faggot’ as he left Capitals game

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D.C. police are seeking help from the public in identifying a male suspect whose image was captured by a video surveillance camera.

D.C. police are seeking help from the public in identifying a male suspect whose image was captured by a video surveillance camera after he allegedly shouted anti-gay slurs and threatened to assault a man at 6th and H Streets, N.W. on March 20 at about 9:54 p.m.

A police report says the victim told police the incident took place shortly after he exited the nearby Capital One Arena where he had attended a Washington Capitals hockey game.

The police report says the incident began when the victim saw the suspect yell a racist slur at a person behind the victim and started to berate a valet operator.

ā€œSuspect 1 then turned his attention to Victim 1 and called him a ā€˜faggot’ among other homophobic slurs,ā€ the report says. It says the victim then used his phone to record the suspect, prompting the suspect to walk away before returning and ā€œsnatchingā€ the phone from the victim’s hand.

ā€œSuspect 1 walked several feet as Victim 1 followed, requesting his phone back,ā€ the report continues. ā€œSuspect 1 stopped and turned to Victim 1 and while yelling other obscenities exclaimed ā€˜if you keep recording, I’m going to kick your ass.ā€™ā€ The report concludes by saying the victim was able to recover his phone.

It lists the incident as a ā€œThreats To Do Bodily Harmā€ offense that is a suspected hate crime.

ā€œAnyone who can identify this suspect or has knowledge of this incident should take no action but call police at 202-727-9099, or text your tip to the Department’s TEXT TIP LINE at 50411,ā€ according to a separate police statement released April 23.

The statement says police currently offer an award of up to $1,000 to anyone who can provide information that leads to an arrest and indictment of the person or persons responsible for a crime committed in D.C.

D.C. police spokesperson Tom Lynch said the case has been under investigation since the incident occurred on March 20. He said the video image of the suspect, most likely obtained from a security camera from a nearby business, was released to the public as soon as it was obtained and processed through the investigation.

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District of Columbia

Wanda Alston Foundation names new executive director

Longtime LGBTQ rights advocate Cesar Toledo to succeed June Crenshaw

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Cesar Toledo is the new executive director of the Wanda Alston Foundation. (Photo courtesy of the Wanda Alston Foundation)

The Wanda Alston Foundation, the D.C.-based organization that has provided housing and support services for homeless LGBTQ youth since its founding in 2008, announced it has appointed longtime LGBTQ rights advocate Cesar Toledo as its new executive director.

In an April 22 statement, the organization said that as part of a planned leadership transition launched in November 2024, Toledo will succeed June Crenshaw, who Alston Foundation officials and LGBTQ community activists say has led the organization with distinction in her role as executive director for the past nine years.

In a statement released last November, the foundation announced Crenshaw was stepping down from her role as executive director after deciding to ā€œto step into her next chapter.ā€

ā€œJune’s leadership has been truly transformative,ā€ said Alston Foundation Board Chair Darrin Glymph in the group’s April 22 statement. ā€œWe are immensely grateful for her dedication and equally excited for the energy and experience that Cesar brings to lead us into this next chapter,ā€ Glymph said. 

ā€œA seasoned LGBTQ+ advocate, Cesar brings over a decade of experience leading national campaigns, shaping public policy, and building inclusive communities,ā€ the statement released by the group says. ā€œMost recently, he served as the National LGBTQ+ Engagement Director for the Harris for President Campaign and has built a career focused on advancing equality and equitable education,ā€ it says.

Biographical information about Toledo shows that immediately prior to working for the Harris For President Campaign, he served since April 2023 as deputy director for Democrats for Education Reform DC (DFER DC),  a political group that helps to elect candidates for public office committed to quality education for all students, including minorities, people of color and LGBTQ youth. 

Before joining DFER DC, Toledo served as political director for the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund, where he assisted in electing out LGBTQ candidates to all levels of public office across the U.S.

ā€œI’m really excited about joining the Wanda Alston Foundation,ā€ Toledo told the Washington Blade. ā€œAfter a decade of working at the intersection of politics and policy and advancing political candidates and equitable education here in D.C., I wanted to shift my career to direct services to the most vulnerable folks in the LGBTQ+ family and our homeless youth,ā€ he said.

Among other things, he said he would push for increasing the Alston Foundation’s visibility and mainlining its services for LGBTQ youth at a time when the national political climate has become less supportive.

A statement on its website says the Alston Foundation was founded in 2008 ā€œin memory of Wanda Alston, a fierce LGBTQ+ activist, national advocate, and government official who was admired by District residents.ā€

The statement adds, ā€œThe foundation opened the first housing program in the nation’s capital in 2008 providing pre-independent transitional living and life-saving support services to LGBTQ+ youth.ā€

In a separate statement, the Alston Foundation announced it would hold a ā€œthank youā€ celebration of appreciation for June Crenshaw from 6-8 p.m. on May 20 at Crush Dance Bar located at 2007 14th Street, N.W. in D.C.

ā€œLet’s come together to celebrate her dedication and commitment for everything she has done for the LGBTQIA homeless youth population,ā€ the statement says.

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