Victim testifies in court in beating of gay couple in Center City

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- The daughter of a local police chief is accused of using offensive slurs and throwing punches in an attack on a gay couple in Center City.

Kathryn Knott is fighting the charges against her, and on Friday in court, one of the victims testified.

Day two of testimony in the trial for Kathryn Knott was gruesome. A bloody shirt was shown on the stand. One juror actually rushed out of the courtroom after seeing photos that showed the victims' injuries, but later returned to hear more about the investigation into the beating of a gay couple in Center City.

25-year-old Kathryn Knott of Southampton is the only one who chose to go to trial in this case. Her co-defendants, Kevin Harrigan of Warrington and Phillip Williams of Warminster, pleaded guilty and were sentenced to probation and jail time.

Prosecutors say the three were part of a group involved in the beating of a gay couple on September 11th, 2014 in the 1600 block of Chancellor Street, alleging that Knott took part in the beating and used gay slurs while doing it.

Both victims suffered black eyes. 28-year-old Andrew Haught told jurors his face was broken in several places, and identified Knott as one of the attackers.

He testified, "The girls especially were really intense, which I was really surprised about."

He went on to say his jaw had to be wired shut, saying, "For eight weeks I ate only broth. I lost about 15 pounds. I was emaciated."

Witness Michelle Moore said she saw the fight and stayed until police arrived.

Moore says, "One was on the ground with blood. I thought he was dead. The other was stumbling around like he was looking for something."

Defense attorneys pointed out discrepancies having to do with Knott's dress color that night. Moore testified saying, "A woman was punching a man on the ground. She had blonde hair, that's all I can remember. It looked like she had a whitish and black dress."

The victim previously had testified that Knott was wearing a white dress.

William Brennan is a defense attorney sitting in on the case. He says, "The defense seems to be doing a pretty effective job of saying that while she was with the group, she was merely present."

The judge in this case issued a gag order, meaning attorneys and witnesses are not allowed to speak to the media.

Testimony is expected to continue into next week.