New York man gets 22 years’ jail over killing of Chinese immigrant
NEW YORK - A New York City man who pleaded guilty to manslaughter and a hate crime in the 2021 killing of a Chinese immigrant has been sentenced to 22 years in prison, the authorities said.
Jarrod Powell’s attack on Mr Ma Yao Pan, 61, in Manhattan’s East Harlem neighbourhood, was one of a spate of attacks targeting Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders across the United States.
Mr Ma was in a coma for eight months before he died.
Police surveillance video of the April 2021 attack showed Mr Ma being knocked down from behind and kicked in the head multiple times by a lone man.
Powell pleaded guilty in January to manslaughter in the first degree as a hate crime, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office said in a statement announcing that the 51-year-old had been sentenced to 22 years in prison.
“Mr Ma’s death was the result of a despicable racially motivated attack,” Mr Bragg said. “No one should have to fear that they may be in danger because of their background.”
Mr Ma was a pastry chef who came to the US with his wife two years before the attack, US media have reported.
Mr Bragg’s office said Powell admitted in his plea that he targeted Mr Ma due to his Asian heritage. The office said it currently has 39 open cases related to anti-Asian hate crimes.
The attack on Mr Ma came a month after a shooting spree at three Atlanta spas left eight people dead, including six Asian women.
About one-third of Asian Americans say they have changed their daily routines due to concerns over threats and attacks, according to a 2022 report from the Pew Research Centre.
The US Federal Bureau of Investigation says there were 305 US hate crimes against Asians in 2021. — REUTERS
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