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Suspect's anti-gay tweets to be allowed as evidence in Philly gay-bashing trial

District Attorney's Central Division chief says the suspect's tweets 'clearly indicate a general dislike to a disgust of gays and lesbians and people of other backgrounds'

Suspect's anti-gay tweets to be allowed as evidence in Philly gay-bashing trial
(L-R) Kevin Harrigan, Kathryn Knott, and Philip Williams

A judge ruled Tuesday that a suspect’s anti-gay tweets can be introduced at her trial next month, according to Philly.com.

Kathryn Knott, one of the three Bucks County defendants charged in the September 2014 assault on a gay couple in Center City, is the only one to have claimed trial.

Her two alleged accomplices Philip Williams, 25 and Kevin Harrigan, 26, will not serve any time behind bars after accepting a plea deal.

Williams has been placed on probation and been banned from Center City, where the attack took place, for five years while Harrigan’s probation and ban will last three years. Both must also perform 200 hours of community service at an LGBTI facility.

Knott, whose father is Chalfont police Chief Karl Knott, faces trial on a count of conspiracy, two counts of aggravated assault and related offenses in the attack after turning down a plea offer.

The jury is expected to hear about the 25-year-old’s tweets which were posted on her @kathryn_knott account:

* ‘@krisssstenxoxo the ppl we were just dancing with just turned and mafe out with eatch other #gay #ew’

* ‘jazz flute is for little fairy boys’

* ‘@g0_nads he’s gonna rip me today for my hair..just wait. #dyke’

* ‘this camo song is gay like all the other brad paisley songs’

Her other tweets which showed racial bias and unruly behavior were not allowed to be introduced as evidence by the judge.

In one tweet, she said, ‘My cab driver starting shouting some jihad s— so I starting singing America the beautiful #merrica.’

According to the report, chief of the District Attorney’s Central Division Michael Barry told Judge Roxanne Covington during a pretrial hearing that Knott had posted ‘a number of tweets which clearly indicate a general dislike to a disgust of gays and lesbians and people of other backgrounds.’

He said her tweets should be admitted as evidence in her trial because ‘they are overwhelmingly relevant’ and show a motive for her involvement in the attack on Sept. 11, 2014, in which two men were brutally attacked while one victim was allegedly called ‘a, dirty, fucking faggot.’

One victim spent five days in the hospital after sustaining facial injuries including an orbital fracture and required to have his broken jaw was wired shut for several weeks.

Following her arrest, Knott gained notoriety after it was discovered that she had posted photos of patient X-rays on Twitter that she had access to through her job at the Lansdale Hospital where she worked as an emergency room technician before she was fired.

The trial is scheduled to begin Dec 9.

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