A man who painted racial slurs on vehicles owned by an Asian American family in New Smyrna Beach, Fla., received sentences for his hate crimes this week.
What he did: Kyle Christiansen, 34, spray-painted the family’s cars with the words “Die G**k Rat” and “G**k R***rd Rat” and placed nails on their driveway on July 29, 2020.
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- Damages to the black pickup truck owned by a male family member and a gray Honda sedan owned by his sister-in-law reportedly cost more than $5,000.
- Christiansen, who was arrested last September, was found guilty of two counts of criminal mischief with hate crime enhancements last month.
- Five days before the vandalism, the male victim’s wife received a message from a Facebook account named “Pine Cone,” which targeted her family with racist slurs and demanded that they die from rat poison.
- Investigation revealed that “Pine Cone” also sent messages to the Bureau of Immigration in the Philippines, saying they will stab the first Filipino they see as retribution for their brother, who was allegedly mistreated in the country.
- The account, which had a profile picture of a squirrel, was apparently traced to Christiansen.
The sentence: Christiansen was sentenced to one year in jail, three years of house arrest and seven years of probation for his crimes, according to WKMG.
- Each of the 34-year-old’s crimes carried a maximum penalty of 15 years, for a combined sentence of up to 30 years.
- “Bigotry exists in our communities,” State Attorney RJ Larizza said, according to News Daytona Beach. “It is important to shine a light on it when we can so that folks can see its ugly face.”
- Christiansen is being held at the Volusia County Branch Jail.
Featured Images via New Smyrna Beach Police (left), Volusia County Branch Jail (right)
