US man pleads guilty to hate crime against Jamaican woman

NEW YORK, United States (CMC) – A 33-year-old New York man has pleaded guilty to a federal hate crime charge for stabbing a 59-year-old Jamaican-American woman in a racially motivated attack in 2024. United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jamie McDonald, said Scott Schunzel entered the plea on Thursday before US District Judge Vincent Briccetti. The court heard that Schunzel attacked the woman, a longtime resident of Newburgh, about 60 miles north of New York City, as she stood near a parked fruit truck on June 18, 2024. The victim, whose identity has not been disclosed, sustained a deep wound to her left hamstring and was taken to hospital, where she received stitches. Prosecutors said a subsequent search of Schunzel’s residence uncovered writings and other materials expressing hostility towards Black people, including references to killing and stabbing Black women. Schunzel fled to Florida the following day but was arrested by Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents in Miami. “As he has now admitted, Scott Schunzel deliberately stabbed a Jamaican-American woman and longtime Newburgh resident with a knife because of her race and color,” McDonald said. He said his office remained committed to prosecuting racially motivated violence. FBI New York Assistant Director James Barnacle Jr said the guilty plea underscored the importance of holding perpetrators of hate crimes accountable. Schunzel faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison