Douglas Wayne Cornett, 58, of Spotsylvania County, Virginia, pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court to two hate crime charges and discharging a firearm during a violent federal crime, officials stated.
On the night of Feb. 28, 2024, Cornett followed a box truck driven by a Latino man, identified as O.G., to a Sheetz gas station off I-95. There, he approached O.G.’s friend, J.M., also Latino, and asked how long O.G. had been in the U.S.
When told it had been less than two years, Cornett pulled a handgun and fired six shots, hitting O.G. three times and J.M. once. He later admitted to a sheriff’s deputy that he shot them because of their perceived national origin, officials stated.
Cornett is facing up to life in prison when he is sentenced on Nov. 13.