Man sentenced to 15 years for anti-Asian hate attack on NYC senior
By Carl Samson
A man who brutally attacked a senior Asian American woman in Midtown Manhattan in 2021 has been sentenced to 15 years in state prison.
Catch up: Brandon Elliot, 43, assaulted Vilma Kari, then 65, outside an apartment building at 360 West 43rd Street in Hell’s Kitchen on March 29, 2021. He knocked the Filipino American to the ground, repeatedly stomped on her head and body, and told her “F*ck you, you don’t belong here.”
Elliot then threatened a Good Samaritan who tried to intervene with a knife. Kari ended up suffering multiple injuries, including a fractured pelvis and contusions to her head and body.
Guilty plea: Elliot pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree assault as a hate crime and one count of third-degree criminal possession of a weapon in connection with the case in December 2023. Records show he came out of prison in 2019 after serving 16 years for stabbing his own mother to death in 2002.
Sentence: On Wednesday, Elliot was sentenced to 15 years in state prison followed by five years of supervised release.
“Brandon Elliot assaulted a 65-year-old woman because of her Filipino descent,” District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a news release. “This attack has left lasting fear and anxiety for the victim and many in the AAPI community. I hope the closure of this case will allow the victim to continue healing and moving forward, while also sending a strong message that we will seek full accountability for anyone who commits violence against their fellow New Yorkers because of their race or ethnicity.”
What the victim is saying: Kari, who immigrated to the U.S. from the Philippines 40 years ago, remains traumatized by the incident. She attended Elliot’s sentencing and looked him straight in the eye for the first time since the violent attack.
“Mr. Elliot, you took my peace. Fear will always linger,” Kari said in her witness testimony, adding that she will pray for him “even though you may not change.”
“While I did not physically die that day, a portion of me did. A portion of me that made me think I could come to America 40 years ago and be accepted for who I am. I was wrong.”
Elliot, for his part, reportedly apologized to Kari in the courtroom.
The big picture: The attack, which was caught on surveillance video, was among the high-profile cases of anti-Asian hate amid the COVID-19 pandemic, helping spark the Stop Asian Hate movement. Kari’s daughter, Elizabeth, started a nonprofit called AAP(I BELONG) to raise awareness about the attacks.
“Mom has been waiting for three years to share the details about what happened,” Elizabeth said outside the courthouse, surrounded by supporters. “Now she can come out and be a little bit more forward facing within the organization.”
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