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With a sea of uniformed cops trying on, a New Jersey man who pleaded responsible to taking pictures pepper spray into the face of Officer Brian D. Sicknick through the Jan. 6, 2021, storming of the Capitol was sentenced on Friday to just about seven years in jail.
The 80-month sentence handed down towards the person, Julian Khater, introduced an finish to one of many wrenching circumstances involving Officer Sicknick, who died at some point after he was doused with pepper spray within the melee exterior the Capitol.
On the similar listening to, George Tanios, a second man who was accused within the assault, was sentenced to time served, having already spent 5 months in jail as his case moved by the courts. In July, Mr. Tanios pleaded responsible to misdemeanor costs after the federal government agreed to drop an assault depend towards him.
Whereas early reviews advised that Officer Sicknick died of his accidents, an post-mortem later confirmed that he died of pure causes, after struggling a number of strokes that weren’t immediately associated to the violent pro-Trump riot. Nonetheless, prosecutors have famous in court docket filings that Washington’s medical expert decided that Officer Sicknick had engaged with rioters on Jan. 6 and that “all that transpired performed a job in his situation.”
The sentencing listening to, in Federal District Courtroom in Washington, was marked by the presence of maybe 50 of Officer Sicknick’s colleagues within the U.S. Capitol Police — so many who a number of dozen of them have been requested to maneuver to an overflow room. The listening to additionally featured emotional testimony from a number of members of Officer Sicknick’s household.
Perceive the Occasions on Jan. 6
Gladys Sicknick, Officer Sicknick’s mom, informed Mr. Khater that he had gone after her son “like he was an animal,” including that no matter penalty he acquired was “not sufficient in my eyes.”
Mrs. Sicknick additionally had lacerating phrases for the bigger mob of rioters who had laid siege to the Capitol.
“All of you bear duty for the accidents sustained by Brian’s fellow officers — the damaged bones, head trauma and the persevering with psychological anguish they endure and can endure for the remainder of their lives,” she mentioned. “Think about the emotional ache that will trigger somebody to take his personal life. 4 officers dedicated suicide. You and your ‘motion’ brought on their deaths.”
Officer Caroline Edwards, who was injured in the identical assault and testified about her expertise to congressional investigators, additionally appeared in court docket to ship remarks to Decide Thomas F. Hogan, who presided within the case.
“Typically once I shut my eyes I can nonetheless see his face, white as a sheet,” Officer Edwards mentioned of Officer Sicknick, including, “I might give something to take the ache away from the Sicknick household and my fellow officers.”
Mr. Khater’s sentence was one of many longest given to any of the 950 folks charged to date in reference to the Capitol assault. Probably the most extreme sentences, which have ranged from seven-and-a-half years to 10 years in jail, have been handed all the way down to defendants accused of assaulting cops.
Officer Sicknick was attacked with chemical spray at a key second within the riot — simply because the mob was overrunning the police at bike rack obstacles on the west aspect of the Capitol.
In court docket papers filed earlier than the listening to, Mr. Khater mentioned he had no intention of coming into the Capitol on Jan. 6 and solely went to Washington that day as a result of Mr. Tanios invited him to tag alongside to a rally by President Donald J. Trump. Mr. Tanios, who’s from West Virginia, later admitted shopping for two cans of bear spray and two canisters of a much less potent pepper spray earlier than the journey to Washington, however mentioned they have been just for self-protection.
In his papers, Mr. Khater acknowledged that he used pepper spray towards at the least three officers, together with Officer Sicknick, however defined that he had merely given into “his anxiousness” in “a harmful and chaotic environment.”
When Mr. Khater addressed Decide Hogan, he famous that he had already been in custody for 684 days — “an extended, agonizing, however humbling expertise,” as he put it.
“What occurred on Jan. 6 — there’s no phrases for it,” he mentioned. “It’s unlucky, and I want I may take all of it again.”
Simply earlier than he handed down Mr. Khater’s sentence, Decide Hogan mentioned he couldn’t perceive why he had joined the mob and attacked officers who introduced no risk to him.
“It simply doesn’t compute with me, the sort of exercise, and other people pondering they’ll do that as a result of they disagreed with the outcomes of the election,” he mentioned.
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