A New York man was sentenced to prison for a violent hate crime that left an Asian woman hospitalized.
According to NBC News, 42-year-old Tammel Esco admitted to the attack that took place March 11 in Yonkers around 6 p.m. Authorities say the victim, a 67-year-old woman of Filipino descent, was headed to her apartment when Esco—who also lived in the building—shouted racial slurs at her. Prosecutor say he then approached the elderly woman from behind and punched in the head, knocking her to the ground.
Security cameras allegedly caught Esco stomp and spit on the woman, as well as punch her 125 times. The victim was hospitalized with bleeding on her brain and multiple facial fractures. Esco was arrested on the day of the attack, and charged with attempted murder as a hate crime. He pleaded guilty to first-degree assault as a hate crime in September. He has been held without bail since the arrest.
On Thursday, the man was sentenced to 17 and a half years in state prison, and five years of post-release supervision.
“Today we close a chapter on one of the most vicious and shocking hate crimes we’ve seen in Westchester County,” county DA Mimi Rocah said in a statement. “This is a case that has traumatized not only the victim and her family, but also her neighbors, the Westchester community, and the broader Asian American and Pacific Islander community.”
The victim’s family reportedly worked with police during her recovering process. During a court appearance, the woman opened up about the horrific experience that ultimately led her to leave her home.
“Because of the viciousness and hate of Tammel Esco, I lost the place I called home for over 24 years, the place where I raised my daughters, and my longtime neighbors,” she read from her impact statement. “As the attack happened, all I could think was, ‘Please Lord let me live, please Lord my daughters need me.’ A complete stranger heartlessly spit, beat and kicked me over 100 times just because of my heritage… My only hope is that God and the criminal justice system will see fit to make sure this never happens to any other innocent family again.”
