NEW YORK – Jarrod Powell, 51, plead guilty this week for the 2021 death of 61-year-old Yao Pan Ma.
Powell pleaded guilty in New York State Supreme Court to one count of manslaughter in the first degree as a Hate Crime. Under the terms of the plea, Powell will be sentenced to 22 years in state prison and 5 years’ post-release supervision. He will be sentenced on March 9, 2023.
“This unprovoked attack took the life of Yao Pan Ma and took away a sense of security for so many in the AAPI community in New York,” said Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr. “Jarrod Powell attacked Mr. Ma because of his race and is now being held accountable. My thoughts are with Mr. Ma’s family and friends as they continue to mourn this loss.”
As admitted in his plea, at approximately 8:15 p.m. on April 23, 2021, Powell observed Ma, who weighed 114 pounds, on the corner of 125th Street and 3rd Avenue. Powell ran up to Ma from behind and struck him, knocking him to the ground. Powell then stomped on Ma’s head multiple times and repeatedly kicked him in the head, face, and neck. The defendant fled the scene as Ma lay unconscious on the corner of 125th Street and 3rd Avenue.
An MTA bus driver, who was stopped at a traffic light and witnessed the attack, flagged down a nearby ambulance. FDNY EMTs found Mr. Ma and transported him to Harlem Hospital, where he was treated for facial fractures and bleeding on the brain. As a result of the attack, Ma sustained a traumatic brain injury and was placed on life support. Powell evaded authorities for four days until he was identified through video surveillance and apprehended by the NYPD on April 27, 2021.
Following his arrest, Powell made statements to law enforcement in which he claimed to have been attacked by two Korean or Japanese men the day before he attacked Ma.
Subsequently, the defendant admitted that he did not report the alleged robbery to police and did not provide a description of his alleged assailants beyond their racial identities. Ma remained hospitalized in a vegetative state until he died from his injuries on December 31, 2021.
As admitted in his plea to this hate crime, Powell targeted Ma because he was Asian.
MDAO
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