A Virginia man was sentenced to life in prison after a blatant attempt to rid the country of a couple of Latino men for no reason other than their nationality.
In Trump’s America, the celebration of the conviction and incarceration by the Department of Justice was a little shocking, but here you go …
Douglas Wayne Cornett, of Spotsylvania County, pleaded guilty in June to federal hate crime charges, each involving an attempt to kill, and for discharging a firearm during a federal crime of violence. Cornett faced a mandatory 10-year sentence on the firearms violation and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment for the two hate crimes.
According to court documents, Cornett followed a box truck driven by one victim, an adult Latino male, into a gas station along Interstate 95 in Spotsylvania County, on Feb. 28, 2024.
Cornett then questioned a friend of the driver asking how long the victim had been in the U.S. When he learned the Latino man had arrived within the last two years, Cornett drew a handgun and fired six rounds, striking the driver three times and the friend once.
Cornett later confessed to a sheriff’s deputy that he shot the victims because of his perception of their national origin.
Cornett was allegedly obsessed with cable news, I bet you know which channel, and “pissed” over illegal immigration, according to previous reporting by AFP.
Court documents showed that he told a detective that he was angry undocumented migrants received welfare funds, phones and health insurance. Also, according to the report, he fantasized about flying an Apache helicopter gunship to the border and firing on undocumented migrants traveling into the United States.
ICYMI
While the crime happened under Joe Biden’s watch, the rhetoric of Donald Trump in his first term and on the campaign trail painted a picture of immigrants as the enemy, saying many were dumped here from prisons, jails, mental institutions and “insane asylums.” He also successfully convinced many Americans that those same migrants were taking their jobs and public benefits.
The sentencing happened on Thursday, and the Department of Justice even sent out a news release condemning the actions of Cornett as “hate-fueled violence.”
“No one in this country should be hunted down and shot at because of who they are or where they come from,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon of the Justice Department’s civil rights division. “This sentence reflects the Justice Department’s unwavering commitment to protecting communities from hate-fueled violence and to hold accountable those who attack others based on prejudice.”
Oh snap, I thought they were going to say individuals shouldn’t be hunted down because of their race, because, you know ICE, but OK, not hunted down and shot, semantics. Got it.
U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan for the Eastern District of Virginia took time out of her own court battles about the legality of her appointment to weigh in.
“Today’s verdict is a welcome reminder that terror motivated by hate will not be tolerated,” said Halligan. “My office will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to investigate and vigorously prosecute those who choose brutality and aggression over civility and reason.”
Rich from someone who was handpicked by Trump to pursue litigation against his political enemies including former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James. Kind of surprised she wanted her name on this one since this Cornett guy seems like the kind of patriot that Trump might want to pardon. I mean, he could claim, two less people he has to deport later.
The names of the two victims were not released, and their current condition is unknown. It’s also unknown what their legal status is or was, and whether they remain in the U.S.
Halligan recently made national headlines when she opened up a Signal chat with a journalist, who later published the exchange in full. Halligan accused the writer of not reporting fairly and tried to claim later that all the comments were off the record, despite the parties not agreeing in advance to those terms. Not exactly how that works in journalism, Lindsey, but good try.
Related stories
- Virginia grand jury returns questionable indictment against former FBI Director Comey
- Trump dumps U.S. Attorney who refuses to prosecute Letitia James
- New York AG files $250M civil suit against Trump, accusing former president of ‘staggering fraud’
- Trump, comically, tries to pin Epstein files on Comey, Obama, ‘the Biden’
- Battle lines formed among Virginia delegation over Signalgate
- Second Signalgate questions leadership abilities of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth
Support AFP
Share
Crystal Graham
