Coram Man Gets 10 Years For Port Jefferson Station Hate Crime

Newsday has reported that Brian J. Karris, the Coram man convicted of a 2010 hate crime, was sentenced on Friday in a Riverhead court to ten years in jail for the beating of a mentally ill man at a bus stop in Port Jefferson Station.

In his statement, Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota said that Karris targeted Joseph King because he is African-American and has an intellectual disability.

Although Newsday reports that Karris said in court that he is not a bigot, a judge cited his violent past that included beating up an ex-girlfriend and a 2003 conviction of assault for hitting a bartender over the head with a glass when he refused to serve Karris any more drinks.

You can read the full story on Newsday's website here.

In 2010, Karris, 36, punched King, who was 46-years-old at the time, in the face then “twice stomped on the unconscious victim’s head,” according to a statement released by the district attorney’s office.

Let Patch save you time. Get local stories like this delivered right to your inbox or smartphone everyday with our free newsletter. Simple, fast sign-up here.