Douglas Wayne Cornett

By Zak Failla From Daily Voice

A man who asked a Latino man how long he had been in the country before gunning him down outside a Virginia gas station due to his race will spend the rest of his life behind bars.

Spotsylvania resident Douglas Wayne Cornett was sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to two federal hate crime charges, each involving an attempt to kill, and to discharging a firearm during a federal crime of violence, federal authorities announced on Friday.

According to court documents, on Feb. 28, 2024, Cornett followed a box truck driven by "O.G.," an adult Latino man, into the Sheetz gas station along I-95 in Spotsylvania.

Once there, Cornett then asked a second man, "J.M.," also Latino, how long "O.G." had been 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 men because of his perception of their national origin.

“As our nation recovers from recent political violence, today’s verdict is a welcome reminder that terror motivated by hate will not be tolerated,” new US Attorney Lindsey Halligan said in a statement.

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division added, “No one in this country should be hunted down and shot at because of who they are or where they come from." 

“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.”