Corey Pujols; Tampa Police Department
A black Dunkin’ Donuts manager was sentenced to house arrest after killing an elderly, white customer who reportedly used a racial slur against him.
27-year-old Pujols fatally punched 77-year-old Vonelle Cook for using the n-word last May while complaining about the poor customer service.
Pujols punched Cook in the jaw and knocked him to the ground.
Cook suffered a fractured skull and brain contusions and died three days later, an autopsy said, according to CBS News.
Pujols was initially charged with manslaughter and faced up to 30 years in prison.
However, after a plea deal where prosecutors considered the fact that Cook “used possibly the most aggressive and offensive term in the English language,” the judge sentenced Pujols to two years house arrest, 200 hours of community service and one anger management course.
CBS News reported:
A Florida Dunkin’ employee accused of fatally punching a customer who used a racist slur against him pleaded guilty to felony battery and was sentenced to two years of house arrest. A Tampa judge on Monday also ordered Corey Pujols, 27, to complete 200 hours of community service and attend an anger management course.
Pujols was initially charged with manslaughter.
In agreeing to a plea deal, prosecutors considered the “totality of the circumstances,” including Pujols’ youth, his lack of criminal history and the fact that he did not intend to cause Cook’s death, Grayson Kamm, a spokesman for Hillsborough State Attorney Andrew Warren, told the Tampa Bay Times. He said they also considered the behavior of Cook and what he said.
“Two of the primary factors were the aggressive approach the victim took toward the defendant and everyone working with the defendant, and that the victim repeatedly used possibly the most aggressive and offensive term in the English language,” Kamm told the newspaper.
According to Law & Crime, Cook was a registered sex offender.
