Man pleads guilty to ‘vilest’ homophobic attack on two men in New York
Nicholas Ferlenda is set to be sentenced in April
By Steve Brown
Words: Steve Brown
A man has pleaded guilty to the ‘vilest’ homophobic attack on two men.
Nicholas Ferlenda, 28, from Syracuse, went on a violent rampage after see a concert-goer put his arm around his boyfriend as they walked to their car after they left the New York State Fair back in August.
Ferlenda hurled homophobic slurs towards the men and punched one of them in the face and then smashed the driver’s side window of a car belonging to the other man, Syracuse.com reported.
Ferlenda was reportedly covered in blood and screaming expletives when he was arrested on charges of criminal mischief, aggravated harassment and disorderly conduct.
Prosecutor Anthony Mangovski said the attack, which lasted around 30 minutes, showed his ‘unbelievable’ hatred and dubbed the attack one of the ‘vilest’ thing he had seen.
Mangovski called for Ferlanda to spend at least three years in prison but the judge offered a deal that if he pleaded guilty to both hate crime felonies, he would receive six months in jail.
Ferlenda – who remains free on bond and is set to be sentenced in April – will also serve five years of probation and will undergo diversity training.