VIRGINIA
Douglas Wayne Cornett, of Spotsylvania County, Virginia, was sentenced to life in federal prison on Wednesday after pleading guilty to two federal hate-crime charges — each involving an attempted killing — as well as discharging a firearm during a federal crime of violence, according to authorities.
“No one in this country should be hunted down and shot at because of who they are or where they come from,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This sentence reflects the Justice Department’s unwavering commitment to protecting communities from hate-fueled violence and to hold accountable those who attack others based on prejudice.”
According to court documents, on the evening of Feb. 28, 2024, Cornett followed a box truck driven by a victim with the initials O.G., an adult Latino male, into the Sheetz gas station along Interstate 95 in Spotsylvania County, Virginia.
Cornett then asked a victim with the initials J.M., an adult Latino male and a friend of O.G., how long O.G. had been present in the United States. Upon learning that O.G. had arrived within the last two years, Cornett drew a handgun and fired six rounds, striking O.G. three times and J.M. once. Cornett later confessed to a Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Deputy to shooting the victims because of his perception of their national origin.
The Richmond Field Office of the FBI investigated the case with substantial assistance from the Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office.