Daniel Borden was sentenced to 20 years in prison for beating DeAndre Harris during the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, NC in 2017. Most of the sentence was suspended, leaving Borden with a little less than four years to serve, according to NBC.
Harris, who is black, was attacked by a group of racists in a parking garage during the rally. The brutal assault was caught on camera, in which multiple men were seen beating Harris.
Three other men have also been charged in the attack. In August, Jacob Scott Goodwin and Alex Michael Ramos were both sentenced for malicious wounding, and sentenced to two and three years respectively. Ramos originally said that he assaulted Harris in self-defense.
From NBC:
Last year, Borden entered an Alford plea to malicious wounding. The plea means Borden did not admit guilt, but acknowledged prosecutors had enough evidence to convict him.
WVIR-TV in Charlottesville reports that during his sentencing hearing Monday, Borden told the judge he is not a bigot and is remorseful. He also apologized to Harris, who was not in the courtroom.
“As with all prosecutions surrounding the August 12, 2017 attack of DeAndre Harris, this office is hopeful that today’s outcome brings some measure of solace and closure to him and the community at large,” Ohio attorney Joseph Platania told the press after the sentencing.
Harris, who was left with a broken wrist and staples in his scalp, was initially charged with misdemeanor assault, but was ultimately acquitted.
Last month, Ohio’s James Alex Fields Jr., the white supremacist who killed activist Heather Heyer during the Charlottesville rally, was convicted of first-degree murder. The jury recommended a sentence of life, plus 419 years. Fields sentencing is scheduled for March 29th.