A Manhattan man is headed to prison after a jury found him guilty of knocking a doctor unconscious and hurling homophobic slurs at the man two years ago at a train station in Queens.
Kevin Carroll was sentenced to 18 years-to-life in prison following a two-week long jury trial, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced via press release Saturday.
The 39-year-old had been charged with robbery and aggravated harassment as a hate crime for the July 2020 attack at the Long Island Railroad station in Jamaica.
At the station, just a few months into the COVID-19 pandemic's grip on the city, Carroll approached his victim around 7:20 p.m. asking for a dollar. When he wasn't given a dollar, Carroll threw a water bottle at the man and then walked away, Katz said.
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But that was not the end of their interaction. The district attorney said Carroll returned to the doctor and started yelling homophobic slurs before punching him in the face. The force of the attack knocked the victim to the ground where he lost consciousness.
Carroll took that opportunity to swipe the man's cell phone and gym back before fleeing. Katz said cameras at the station captured Carroll's actions. He was arrested two days later.
The man targeted by Carroll suffered permanent eye damage as a result of the assault, the DA said.
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"Hate has no place in Queens. A jury weighed the evidence presented at trial and found the defendant guilty. Today, a judge ordered him to prison as punishment for his hateful actions," Katz said.
Carroll's criminal history, she added, includes an almost two-decades old conviction for body slamming an officer while he was panhandling in the subway.
