2 years house arrest only for murder. Fair verdict?

[Desibaba]

Dunkin' worker who fatally punched customer sentenced​

FOX 13 News

TAMPA, Fla. - A Tampa doughnut shop worker accused of punching and killing a customer for using a racial slur against him will spend two years on house arrest after pleading guilty to felony battery.

The judge on Monday also ordered former Dunkin' employee Corey Pujols, 27, to complete 200 hours of community service and attend an anger management course.

Pujols had initially been charged with aggravated manslaughter following the May 5, 2021 incident that took place at the Dunkin' location at 410 South 50 Street in Tampa.

Investigators said the victim, 77-year-old Vonelle Cook, had gone through the drive-thru and was angry about the lack of service. He then parked his car and walked into the restaurant, yelling about customer service.

Employees said Cook was a frequent customer and described him as "regularly troublesome and abusive," a release from the State Attorney's Office noted.

When Cook walked into the restaurant on May 5, 2021, prosecutors said he was aggressive and verbally abusive toward employees and Pujols.

When Pujols, who is Black, asked Cook to leave, police said Cook called him the "N" word.

Pujols told Cook not to call him the racial slur again. When Cook did, Pujols punched him in the jaw, knocking the man out and causing him to fall and hit his head on the floor.

Tampa Fire Rescue responded and transported Cook to the hospital, where he died three days later.

Prosecutors accepted a plea deal from Pujols, who agreed to change his plea to guilty for the lesser charge of felony battery in exchange for a more lenient sentence.

"This outcome holds the defendant accountable while taking into account the totality of the circumstances—the aggressive approach and despicable racial slur used by the victim, along with the defendant’s age, lack of criminal record, and lack of intent to cause the victim’s death," said Grayson Kamm, a spokesperson for the Hillsborough State Attorney's Office in a statement to FOX 13.

Prosecutors said it was important that there were consequences for Pujols' actions, but did take into account Cook's abusive behavior, "very troublesome criminal history" and prison time, which they said made him an "unsympathetic victim."

Court records show that Cook was a registered sex offender.

According to an autopsy, Cook suffered a skull fracture and brain contusions from the fall.

Darrin Johnson, an attorney for Pujols, declined to comment after the hearing.

https://www.fox13news.com/news/dunkin-worker-who-fatally-punched-77-year-old-customer-sentenced-to-2-years-of-house-arrest.amp

 

[Jayne Scott]

Dunkin' worker who fatally punched customer sentenced​

FOX 13 News

TAMPA, Fla. - A Tampa doughnut shop worker accused of punching and killing a customer for using a racial slur against him will spend two years on house arrest after pleading guilty to felony battery.

The judge on Monday also ordered former Dunkin' employee Corey Pujols, 27, to complete 200 hours of community service and attend an anger management course.

Pujols had initially been charged with aggravated manslaughter following the May 5, 2021 incident that took place at the Dunkin' location at 410 South 50 Street in Tampa.

Investigators said the victim, 77-year-old Vonelle Cook, had gone through the drive-thru and was angry about the lack of service. He then parked his car and walked into the restaurant, yelling about customer service.

Employees said Cook was a frequent customer and described him as "regularly troublesome and abusive," a release from the State Attorney's Office noted.

When Cook walked into the restaurant on May 5, 2021, prosecutors said he was aggressive and verbally abusive toward employees and Pujols.

When Pujols, who is Black, asked Cook to leave, police said Cook called him the "N" word.

Pujols told Cook not to call him the racial slur again. When Cook did, Pujols punched him in the jaw, knocking the man out and causing him to fall and hit his head on the floor.

Tampa Fire Rescue responded and transported Cook to the hospital, where he died three days later.

Prosecutors accepted a plea deal from Pujols, who agreed to change his plea to guilty for the lesser charge of felony battery in exchange for a more lenient sentence.

"This outcome holds the defendant accountable while taking into account the totality of the circumstances—the aggressive approach and despicable racial slur used by the victim, along with the defendant’s age, lack of criminal record, and lack of intent to cause the victim’s death," said Grayson Kamm, a spokesperson for the Hillsborough State Attorney's Office in a statement to FOX 13.

Prosecutors said it was important that there were consequences for Pujols' actions, but did take into account Cook's abusive behavior, "very troublesome criminal history" and prison time, which they said made him an "unsympathetic victim."

Court records show that Cook was a registered sex offender.

According to an autopsy, Cook suffered a skull fracture and brain contusions from the fall.

Darrin Johnson, an attorney for Pujols, declined to comment after the hearing.

https://www.fox13news.com/news/dunkin-worker-who-fatally-punched-77-year-old-customer-sentenced-to-2-years-of-house-arrest.amp

There's no right or wrong answer am afraid, but the circumstances leading to the death, is obviously what led to the judgment.

 

[MFAAS]

This Wasn't murder: Murder is the unlawful killing of a human being with malice aforethought

So the correct term is manslaughter.

This was obviously not planned. I very much disagree that sending the guy to prison would benefit anyone. It will cost the taxpayers money. Ruin this guy's life. He can live with the guilt of killing someone, I am sure it will weigh on him. This gives him a chance to turn his life around.

Honestly the whole tough on crime thing is so retarded. This guy is an upstanding citizen trying to grind his way through a difficult life working at a fucking donut shop making minimum wage. He is black, in fucking Florida?! ri,..and made it to age 27 with no criminal record? I think hes probably a pretty decent guy lmao. An old, racist sex offender that repeatedly berates the employees there decides to escalate a drove-thru argument by entering the premises and goads the young man into throwing a punch. Then the old fart dies because he is old as fuck and doesn't take care of himself.

If I was on that jury I absolutely would say community service and house arrest fits the crime.

 

[theotherguy]

This Wasn't murder: Murder is the unlawful killing of a human being with malice aforethought

So the correct term is manslaughter.

This was obviously not planned. I very much disagree that sending the guy to prison would benefit anyone. It will cost the taxpayers money. Ruin this guy's life. He can live with the guilt of killing someone, I am sure it will weigh on him. This gives him a chance to turn his life around.

Honestly the whole tough on crime thing is so retarded. This guy is an upstanding citizen trying to grind his way through a difficult life working at a fucking donut shop making minimum wage. He is black, in fucking Florida?! ri,..and made it to age 27 with no criminal record? I think hes probably a pretty decent guy lmao. An old, racist sex offender that repeatedly berates the employees there decides to escalate a drove-thru argument by entering the premises and goads the young man into throwing a punch. Then the old fart dies because he is old as fuck and doesn't take care of himself.

If I was on that jury I absolutely would say community service and house arrest fits the crime.

Of course tough on crime is retarded, look who pushed it.

 

[MFAAS]

Of course tough on crime is retarded, look who pushed it.

Basically every politician ever? Lol

Yeah, politicians are fucking dumb, selfish, greedy assholes. All of them. Except like 2 whom I still have some or eveb a good bit of respect for, but I won't name them here because that's not what this thread is about.

 

[Iamnatty]

Sex offenders against children. Need put to sleep permanently anyway.

 

[Demondosage]

Fuck that, I’m getting tired of senior citizens thinking that being old gives them the right to treat people like shit!! Sounds like a miserable son of a bitch that got put out of his misery!!

 

[MFAAS]

Fuck that, I’m getting tired of senior citizens thinking that being old gives them the right to treat people like shit!! Sounds like a miserable son of a bitch that got put out of his misery!!

Honestly when I look at the amount I pay out of my paycheck for medicare and social security it just makes my blood boil. Like you have these old fucks saying that young people are lazy and they had jobs and were able to support themselves back in their day (as though nothing has changed at all--idiots). Yet now that they made it past that magic age of 65 they expect the government (aka ME AND AND ALL OF YOU--the exact young people they say shouldn't get anything for free and should work at a donut shop to pay for community college) to pay for all their shit! Especially knowing that a lot of the people who get social security have fucking millions in the bank and don't even fucking need that shit at all. The only thing we're doing is bankrolling their heirs--who also probably don't fucking need it!!! Then of course the second someone says that we should have free community college to help boost our society and get people better jobs, they throw a fit about how we can't afford it and we can't have people mooching off the system. It's so fucking ass backwards I can't even fucking handle it lol.

Alright, end that rant.

But yes, I am really sick of people thinking that being old just automatically makes them deserve respect from everyone, government payouts, and the best healthcare and prescription drugs just because they are old. It's insanity.

 

[barbell001]

Tbh when I first read the title I got my back straight up and was questioning why the hell did he only get community service. Then when you look through all the facts and the old guys criminal record you realise it was the right thing to do. He was lucky in all fairness that he didn't get sparked out the first time he called him that, but he got a warning and still did it again.

The older man was obviously an Arsehole his whole life, sex offender, assault etc etc his time had finally come and he's messed with the wrong person in the end. Does the world really get any kind of benefit from people like this being here ultimately? Nope, all they do is cause problems for everyone.

 

[Bigdiddy]

This Wasn't murder: Murder is the unlawful killing of a human being with malice aforethought

So the correct term is manslaughter.

This was obviously not planned. I very much disagree that sending the guy to prison would benefit anyone. It will cost the taxpayers money. Ruin this guy's life. He can live with the guilt of killing someone, I am sure it will weigh on him. This gives him a chance to turn his life around.

Honestly the whole tough on crime thing is so retarded. This guy is an upstanding citizen trying to grind his way through a difficult life working at a fucking donut shop making minimum wage. He is black, in fucking Florida?! ri,..and made it to age 27 with no criminal record? I think hes probably a pretty decent guy lmao. An old, racist sex offender that repeatedly berates the employees there decides to escalate a drove-thru argument by entering the premises and goads the young man into throwing a punch. Then the old fart dies because he is old as fuck and doesn't take care of himself.

If I was on that jury I absolutely would say community service and house arrest fits the crime.