HYDERABAD: Adam Purinton, 52-year-old US Navy veteran, has pleaded guilty to the murder of Hyderabad-based engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla. The racially motivated hate crime, that happened at a bar in Kansas City in 2017, raised fears of growing intolerance in America following President Donald Trump’s tough rhetoric on immigration. While Kuchibhotla was killed, another Indian immigrant Alok Madasani and an American national were injured in the shooting incident.
Purinton had yelled “Get out of my country”, before shooting Kuchibhotla who later died of injuries sustained in the attack. Kuchibhotla and Mr. Madasani worked as engineers at Garmin, a tech company. Earlier, the accused had pleaded not guilty on all these charges.
Kuchibhotla’s widow Sunayana Dumala welcomed the guilty plea. “Today’s verdict will not bring back my Srinu, but it will send a strong message that hate is never acceptable,” she said. “Even after a year passed away, the incident remains fresh still in our minds. Definitely, Srinivas death is great loss to my family and no one can replace the loss,’’ said Kuchibhotla’s relative Venu Madhav.
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