A federal judge on Wednesday sentenced two men each to 15 years in prison after their convictions of hate crime offenses for their roles in a March 8, 2012 assault of a gay Black man in Corpus Christi, Tex. The conviction was announced by Vanita Gupta, head of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, and U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson of the Southern District of Texas, according to a news release.
Ramiro Serrata Jr., 23, and Jimmy Garza, 33, “pleaded guilty in September 2015, to one count of conspiracy to commit hate crimes and one count of a hate crime violation of the Shepard-Byrd Hate Crime Act for causing bodily injury because of the victim’s sexual orientation,” the release states.
In handing down the sentence, Senior U.S. District Judge Hayden Head of the Southern District of Texas condemned the men for the brutal attack, saying they “abandoned their humanity to the viciousness of animals.”
Per the DOJ:
During their respective plea hearings, both men admitted they conspired to assault a gay African-American man because of his race and sexual orientation. During the assault, the defendants punched and kicked the man and assaulted him with various weapons, including a frying pan, a mug, a sock filled with batteries, a broom and a belt. The defendants also poured bleach onto the victim’s face and into his eyes, and Garza struck the victim in the head with a handgun.
Serrata and Garza further admitted that when the victim began to bleed during the assault, they forced him to remove all of his clothing and clean up the blood throughout the apartment. After the victim was naked, Garza pointed a gun at him while Serrata sodomized the victim with a broom handle. Serrata and Garza admitted that, throughout the assault, they called the victim “gay” and other racial and homophobic slurs. The defendants also admitted that they repeatedly whipped the victim with a belt while calling him a “slave” and making other references to slavery.
Both men acknowledged that throughout the assault, they also prevented the man from leaving the apartment by physical force and threats of force. The victim eventually escaped the apartment by jumping out of a window and running away until he was discovered by the police.
Carlos Garcia Jr., a third defendant, pleaded guilty on Jan. 5, 2016, to one count of making false statements to a federal law enforcement officer.
SOURCE: Department of Justice | PHOTO CREDIT: Getty
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21 Of President Barack Obama's Best Photos Of 2015
21 Of President Barack Obama's Best Photos Of 2015
1. JANUARY: President Obama delivers the State of the Union address with the support of vice president Joe Biden. Obama gained mass support after his joke about winning both terms.
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2. APRIL: President Obama arrives in Jamaica to meet with the 15-member Caribbean Community. His trip marked a first for the sitting president and second since the country's independence.
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3. JUNE: President Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel are seen talking during the president's trip to the G7Summit in Bavaria, Germany.
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4. JUNE: President Obama sings "Amazing Grace" during the eulogy for South Carolina state senator and Rev. Clementa Pinckney during Pinckney's funeral service. Clementa was one of the nine victims who died after suspected shooter Dylann Roof entered the AME church and opened fire.
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5. SEPTEMBER: President Obama is featured on the popular show "Running Wild With Bear Grylls." Obama took the trip to highlight the importance of climate control.
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6. SEPTEMBER: The First Couple serve as "love goals" at the White House's state dinner for Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Madame Peng Liyuan. Obama and Xi announced an agreement on controlling climate change and a mutual outlook on cyber security.
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7. OCTOBER: President Obama meets with Ahmed Mohamed, the student who was detained by Texas police for his homemade clock. The president stood by the teen, who many believe was the victim of Islamophobia.
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8. NOVEMBER: President Obama issues a warning to his critics who "pop off" at his policies towards Syrian refugees. Speaking at the OP 21 United Nations conference on climate change, Obama welcomed his Republican critics to the White House to lay down their own policies. No one has responded.
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9. DECEMBER: President Obama addresses the public from the Oval Office regarding the San Bernardino shooting.
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10. DECEMBER: All grown up! The First Family, including Obama's mother-in-law Marian Robinson, is seen at the White House's national Christmas tree lighting ceremony on Dec. 2.
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Continue reading 21 Of President Barack Obama’s Best Photos Of 2015
21 Of President Barack Obama's Best Photos Of 2015
“Abandoned Their Humanity To The Viciousness Of Animals:” Texas Men Sentenced In Rape & Beating Of Gay Black Man was originally published on newsone.com