[Angelino97]

Popov’s lawyer refuted the claims, stating that the teenager is a “good Christian boy” — not Muslim as officials originally announced

1. If he actually said that, he's not a smart lawyer. A Muslim would have an easier time of beating a hate crime rap.

2. It was reported that Popov himself said, "I'm a Muslim."

[Antoninus]

1. If he actually said that, he's not a smart lawyer. A Muslim would have an easier time of beating a hate crime rap.

Not necessarily. If they can get him to say he is a Christian, it fits their narrative better. They'd be willing to give him a lesser sentence for the propaganda value of saying it was a "nice Christian boy" who stabbed the poor, innocent gay black man.