ATLANTA — Two men involved in the beating of a gay teen, were sentenced in the state's first hate crime case.
Brandon White, who is gay, had just walked out of a store in the Pittsburgh community of Atlanta when he was suddenly beaten by a group of men.
Someone recorded the beating on a cellphone and posted it online. The video shows a group of men making derogatory slurs and at one point even dropping a tire on White.
Channel 2's Carol Sbarge was at the sentencing hearing in federal court Wednesday for two of the men involved.
Darian Moragne and Christopher Cain were sentenced by a federal judge to 10 months in prison.
"The sentence was actually good. I thought the judge would be a little harder but he was actually quite fair. They would do their 10 months concurrent with the five years they already have," White said.
The prosecutor said in 22 years in his position he's never seen a victim less set out on vengeance. But White said he is glad the beating was prosecuted as a hate crime.
"I'm hoping that it shows others that you get away with beating on a person simply because the way they are, whether it be race, sexuality, gender. It's not allowed," White said.
Moragne's mother did not want to go on camera, but she said she is sorry and that they don't hate anyone.
Lawyers for both Moragne and Cain said the young men are very remorseful. Moragne's lawyer acknowledged it was a horrific beating, but said it was a kid who did a dumb thing more than out of hate.
White didn't originally report the beating to police. He only did after those who beat him posted video of the attack.
WSBTV
