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A Massachusetts man who was convicted of killing a Black man in a racist road rage encounter has been sentenced to life in prison, CBS News reports.
Dean Kapsalis was found guilty in May on charges of second-degree murder, violation of constitutional rights, and other offenses in the January 2021 death of Henry Tapia.
According to investigators, an argument ensued between Tapia and Kapsalis, who shouted at a racial slur. Kapsalis then hit Tapia with his pickup truck and drove off. Tapia was taken to a hospital, where he died.
"We should make no mistake — this was a racially motivated, senseless tragedy. What is significant about today's verdict is that in Middlesex County when we have violent incidents hate and bigotry, those will not be seen as just background facts," Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan said in a statement following the jury's verdict in May. "We will charge those separately, prosecute that charge separately, and seek accountability for that piece of what happened."
"The fact that some of the last words Henry Tapia heard were a horrific racial insult meant to intimidate and threaten him based on the color of his skin is something we cannot tolerate," Ryan added.
Kapsalis' life sentence came with the possibility of parole after 15 years. He previously argued that Tapia's death was an accident.
When handing down the sentence, Judge David A. Deakin said he considered the support Kapsalis received from his loved ones but his "record reflects essentially a lifelong tendency toward violence."
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