Prime suspect in hate crime is outside U.S.

The prime suspect in a deadly assault that outraged Sacramento's gay community has fled to Russia, Sacramento County sheriff's investigators said Tuesday.

Another suspect in the July death of Satender Singh, which authorities are calling a hate crime, is scheduled to make his first court appearance today on charges connected to the incident.

The naming Tuesday of Andrey Vusik, 29, of West Sacramento, who is out of the country, and Aleksandr Shevchenko, 21, of Sacramento marked a major step forward in the explosive case, said Sheriff John McGinness.

Vusik is charged with involuntary manslaughter rather than murder because the evidence does not show any intent to kill Singh, the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office said in a statement released Tuesday.

But Tuesday's action brought at least one family closer to a resolution.

"We are relieved that he will have justice," said Singh's uncle Camie Bhuie, "and we hope they can bring back the other culprit soon."

The news arrived a month after the death of 26-year-old Singh, a native of Fiji, who died July 5 of head trauma, days after he was punched in a confrontation on the Lake Natoma shore.

In the month since, the incident has reverberated across the local gay community and captured the attention of state and national politicians, who are pushing for tougher hate-crime legislation.

Singh's friends and supporters have said the assault was fueled by homophobia and hate, coming after a string of racial slurs and anti-gay jibes allegedly made by a Russian-speaking group at the state park.

"It is important to make a statement that we as a society will not tolerate this kind of behavior," McGinness said at a news conference Tuesday announcing the suspects.

Homicide investigators say Vusik threw the lethal punch.

The West Sacramento man, whose wife and children remain in the area, is still at large in Russia, where he is being sought on a charge of involuntary manslaughter and committing a hate crime, said Sgt. Connie Merkins of the sheriff's homicide bureau.

In an interview with The Bee, Vusik's wife, Tatyana, insisted he is innocent and acted in self-defense -- not out of hate. She characterized Singh's death as an accident.

The other suspect in the case, Shevchenko, surrendered voluntarily at his home Monday, according to Merkins. He is charged with intimidation and interfering with a victim's rights, which is also a hate crime.

Merkins said the Sheriff's Department is working with the FBI to find Vusik and extradite him from Russia. FBI officials have declined to comment on the case.

"We actually talked to him by telephone on Sunday," Merkins said. "He said this has scared the hell out of him."

Merkins said Vusik and Shevchenko were identified based on witness interviews -- along with a license plate number supplied by Singh's friends and a fingerprint found on evidence gathered by state park police.

The sheriff also acknowledged a "good old-fashioned gumshoe" effort.

If convicted, Vusik could face a maximum of eight years in prison, while Shevchenko faces a maximum of three years. Shevchenko, who remained at the main jail in lieu of $25,000 bail, could not be reached Tuesday.

In the weeks since Singh's death, Tatyana Vusik said she has struggled with the serious accusations that have clouded her family and the larger Slavic community. The crime, she said through a Russian translator, has become exaggerated in political circles. She said gay activists are trying to make an example of her husband, who she says is "a good man."

That day at Lake Natoma, Tatyana Vusik said she and her family were relaxing and enjoying the view.

Her husband barbecued, while their young children played nearby.

It seemed like a pleasant afternoon, Tatyana Vusik said, until a neighboring party -- which included Singh -- grew raucous. She said the revelers were drinking alcohol, swearing loudly and dancing provocatively.

The mother said she then saw Singh leap onto a table, swishing his shirt between his legs. Others around him smashed bottles. She said she saw two men kissing.

About the writer:

• The Bee's Crystal Carreon can be reached at (916) 321-1203 or ccarreon@sacbee.com. Bee researcher Sheila Kern contributed to this report.