Hate Crime: US Navy Veteran sentenced to 'Three' Life Sentences for killing Indian Engineer

August 9,2018:

A US Navy Veteran has been sentenced to 3 consecutive Life Sentences on hate crime charges for killing Indian Engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla and wounding two others after he thought they were Iranians at a suburban Kansas City Bar in 2017.

Adam Purinton of Olathe shot and killed Kuchibhotla, and wounded two others Indian National Alok Madasani and Kansas resident Ian Grillot at Austins Bar & Grill in Olathe, Kansas, in February 2017.

Earlier this year, he pleaded guilty in Federal Court to hate crime and firearm offenses arising out of the shooting.

At his federal guilty-plea hearing, Purinton admitted in open court that he targeted and shot Kuchibhotla and Madasani because of their race, colour, and national origin, and that he shot Grillot during an attempt to flee the scene of the crime.

Purinton had pleaded guilty in State Court to charges of murder and attempted murder, and has been sentenced to a term of life imprisonment in State Prison.

Sentences handed down in Federal Court will run consecutively to another life sentence 53-year-old Purinton previously received for first-degree murder in Johnson County District Court.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in a statement that,"The defendant acted with clear premeditation in murdering one man, and attempting to murder a second man, simply because of their race, religion, and national origin. As a result, a promising young life has been tragically cut short, and other lives have been filled with suffering."

He further added that, the "irreparable harm" that Purinton has done cannot be undone, "some measure of justice for the victims' families has been achieved."

Killing of Kuchibhotla had shaken the Indian community and led to heightened fear and anxiety among South Asian population in general and Indian Community in particular, about their safety. Concerns grew in Community about misplaced perceptions among the individuals over Immigration status and ethnicity of the Indians and South Asians in the America.

Purinton, yelled, "Get out of my country," before shooting Kuchibhotla, who later died from injuries sustained in the attack.

Kuchibhotla and Madasani worked as engineers at Garmin, a tech company that makes GPS devices.

Sourc PTI