A Black manager at a Dunkin’ location in Florida fatally punched an elderly, white customer who called him by the N-word, but he would dodge time behind bars like a part of his confession.
Corey Ellis Pujols27 years old, previously charged with more serious manslaughter than an elder for murder registered sex offender Vonelle Cook, 77 years old, but he eventually accepted responsibility for the battery felony. Prosecutors in Tampa, Florida said Pujols will undergo two years of house arrest followed by three years of probation.
According to officials, Cook was a regular customer at Dunkin’ when on May 4, 2021, he began recruiting staff for the service he received at the drive. The staff told him to go home. In the official account of what happened next, Cook walked into the store; Pujols told a colleague to call the police. Cook called him the N-word, and when Pujols told him not to say it again, he repeated himself. Pujols responded by punching Cook, causing injuries that proved fatal.
Now, the state is saying that Pujols never intended to kill Cook.
“This outcome holds the defendant accountable while taking into account the full range of circumstances – the aggressive approach and racial slurs used by the victim, along with the age of the defendant, not yet available. criminal record and lack of intent to cause the victim’s death,” said Grayson KammDirector of Communications for the Office of the State Attorney for the 13th Circuit.
“Once inside, the victim approached the counter and continued to argue with Pujols,” they said earlier. “Pujols remained on the opposite side of the counter, separated by a waist-high revolving door, about 6 feet from the victim. During the argument, the victim called Pujols a racial slur. Pujols then slowly walks forward through the swinging door to face the victim and with his hands at his sides, warning the victim not to say it again. The victim repeated racial slurs, and Pujols immediately punched him in the jaw, causing the victim to fall and hit his head. Then Pujols slowly let him go. “
The attorney with the Pujols record did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Law & Crime.