After pleading guilty to second-degree attempted murder as a hate crime, a Bed-Stuy man will be spending 10 years in prison.
Christopher Clemente, 38, was sentenced on Feb. 15, by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chunto to 10 years in prison and five years’ post-release supervision.
The charges stem from an anti-gay attack against two men at a Bushwick bodega where both victims were assaulted and suffered numerous injuries, including collapsed lungs.
“This vicious attack on two innocent victims was an intolerable act of anti-gay violence, and today’s sentence sends a strong message that we will vigorously prosecute anyone who commits a hate crime,” District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said.
According to the investigation, at approximately 2:10am, on Sept. 4, 2021, inside of a bodega located at 1559 Broadway in Bushwick, the victims, a 36-year-old man and a 29-year-old man, were waiting for food when the defendants allegedly made a series of homophobic slurs directed at the victims.
Clemente then repeatedly punched the man in the face and Clemente’s co-defendant, Jonathan Carter, allegedly repeatedly struck him about the head and body with a glass liquor bottle, causing him to fall to the floor. Furthermore, Clemente then repeatedly stabbed the 36-year-old in the head and body.
Finally, Clemente and an unapprehended man chased after the 29-year-old victim, grabbing him, and Clemente punched him about the face and body while also stabbing him and continuing to make homophobic slurs.
The older victim suffered multiple stab wounds to his body, including his head, buttocks and lung, causing a collapsed left lung.
The younger victim suffered multiple stab wounds to his body, including neck and lungs, causing both lungs to collapse and was hospitalized for 13 days.
“Nobody should fear that they’ll be attacked because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, and we are committed to vigilantly protecting the rights of Brooklyn’s LGBTQ community,” Gonzalez said.
The defendant pleaded guilty on Jan. 25. The case against Clemente’s co-defendant, Carter, remains pending.
The case was prosecuted by senior assistant district attorney Samantha Perlstein, of the District Attorney’s Hate Crimes Bureau, under the supervision of assistant district attorney Kelli Muse, bureau chief.
