Accused Philly Gay Bashers Considering Plea Deal

After having a request to have the case against them diluted and charges dropped denied by a Common Pleas Court in April, Kathryn Knott, Philip Williams and Kevin Harrigan, the defendants accused of being part of the vicious "clean cut gang" beating of a pair of gay men in Philadelphia last September, may be on the cusp of settling for a plea deal being offered to them by the Philadelphia District Attorney's office.

According to a report in PhillyMag.com, sources confirm the trio have plea offers in hand. They are currently weighing their options.

As previously reported, the suspects face charges of aggravated assault, simple assault, and a number of other charges in connection to the September 11, 2014 attack on couple Zachary Hesse and Andrew Haught. According to the prosecutors, the three used gay slurs towards the couple and physically beat them. Haught was injured with multiple broken bones, having to have his jaw wired shut for two months.

Williams' attorney Forunato Perri told PhillyMag.com,"On behalf of my client, we are reviewing a plea offer from the District Attorney."

Harrigan and Williams were allegedly the more physical aggressors during the beating. Harrigan was believed to have initiated the alleged bashing when he called the victims "faggots."

Louis Busico, attorney for Kathryn Knott, who was later discovered to have previously made anti-gay comments on Twitter, said he's "always happy to have open lines of communication" with prosecutors but wouldn't say whether his client is going to take the deal.

All three suspects are being charged with conspiracy and two counts of aggravated assault, simple assault and recklessly endangering another person. According to a spokesperson for the Philadelphia District Attorney's office, if they are convicted on all charges, the maximum sentence could be as high as 34 to 68 years in prison.

If the defendants don't settle on a plea deal, Busico says he expects jury selection to begin in September or October.