FACES A LIFETIME IN PRISON
DM (29) of Manchester, New Jersey, pleaded guilty to five counts of violating the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act and one count of carjacking, all arising from a series of attacks committed against a number of Orthodox Jews living in Lakewood, New Jersey.
It’s alleged that, on April 8, 2022, DM:
“[A]t 1:18 p.m. … [DM] forced a man readily identifiable by his appearance as an Orthodox Jew out of his car, assaulting and injuring him. [DM] took control of the man’s car and drove away.
At 5:20 p.m., [DM] was in Lakewood driving a different car when he deliberately struck another visibly identifiable Orthodox Jewish man with the vehicle, attempting to kill the victim.
At 6:06 p.m., [DM] used that second vehicle to deliberately strike another man identifiable by his appearance as an Orthodox Jew, attempting to kill the victim and causing him to suffer several broken bones.
At 6:55 p.m., [DM], once again using the vehicle that he had stolen from the first victim, struck and attempted to kill another man readily identifiable as an Orthodox Jew while he was walking in Lakewood. [DM] got out of the vehicle and stabbed the man in the chest with a knife, causing the victim to suffer serious injuries.
At 8:23 p.m., [DM], still using the vehicle that he had stolen from the first victim, deliberately struck another visibly identifiable Orthodox Jewish man who was walking in nearby Jackson Township, New Jersey, attempting to kill the man and causing him to suffer several broken bones and internal injuries.”
In a written statement, Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, noted that “This defendant is being held accountable for his series of depraved, antisemitic assaults against members of the Orthodox Jewish community …. Hate-filled acts of violence, intended to harm, intimidate and isolate communities, have no place in our society. The Justice Department will continue to aggressively prosecute perpetrators of antisemitic violence across our country.”
With sentencing scheduled for June 11, 2024, DM faces a maximum of life in prison and a $250,000 fine for each of the hate crimes violations charging him with attempted murder, and a maximum of a decade in prison and a $250,000 for the hate crime violation charging him with assault, together with a maximum of 15 years and $250,000 for the carjacking charge.
MD must really be hating that ….
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