A Jamaica, Queens man has been handed a decade-long sentence for an assault that the local District Attorney has classified as a hate crime, the confrontation fatal for a 66-year-old victim sparked by minor vehicular accident and fuelled by bigotry. According to a statement from Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, Gilbert Augustin, 32, will serve 10 years in prison followed by five years of post-release supervision after pleading guilty to assault in the second degree as a hate crime.
Details provided by the Queens DA reveal that the incident took place in October 2023 after Augustin, in a black Ford Mustang, was rear-ended by Jasmer Singh's blue Toyota, Augustin's hate-filled response escalated into a verbal altercation and violence, calling Singh "turban man," derogating him for his Sikh religion and ultimately punching him which led to Singh sustaining a fatal brain injury. The initial fender bender, outside 87-34 Van Wyck Expressway, was a mundane mishap but Augustin's aggression turned it deadly, Affairs turned grim after Augustin became irate, assaulted Singh who then fell, struck his head on the pavement and died from the injury the following day, leaving the scene before being apprehended by NYPD with a suspended driver’s license and no insurance proof, the Queens DA's Office also confirmed.
Justice Kenneth Holder of the Queens Supreme Court meted out the sentence on June 2, imposing the lengthy term in hopes of delivering a "measure of solace" to Singh's family and friends as well as sending a "clear message" against hate crimes, the Queens DA's Office has said. "Instead of calmly exchanging information, Augustin responded with hateful rage, derided the victim because of his Sikh religion and punched Singh three times," Katz was quoted saying in the official statement, emphasizing the tragic outcome of the assault.
The case prosecution, headed by Assistant District Attorney Thomas Salmon of the District Attorney’s Career Criminal Major Crimes Bureau, and was conducted with assistance from other members of the office.
