HOUSTON – (Scroll down for video) — A man from Katy was ordered to federal prison to serve a 71-month sentence following his conviction of a federal hate crime related to the racially-motivated assault of an 81-year-old African-American man.
Conrad Alvin Barrett, 29, was charged with violating the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act.
He pleaded guilty Jun. 30, 2015, admitting that on Nov. 24, 2013, he attacked the elderly African-American man because of the man’s race and color in what Barrett called a “knockout.”
Evidence revealed that Barrett recorded himself on his cell phone attacking the African-American man. In the recording, Barrett questions whether there would be national attention if he attacked a person of color.
Barrett also claimed he would not hit “defenseless people” just moments before punching the elderly man in the face and with such force that the victim immediately fell to the ground.
Barrett then laughed and said “knockout” as he ran to his vehicle and fled. The victim suffered two jaw fractures and was hospitalized for several days as a result of the attack.
The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act was passed on Oct. 22, 2009, and signed into law by President Barack Obama six days later.
