A man who punched an elderly Asian woman more than 100 times has been sentenced to more than 17 years in prison, prosecutors announced Tuesday.
Tammel Esco, 42, used anti-Asian slurs against the victim during his brutal attack. The suspect violently beat this 67-year-old woman as she was walking into her apartment building. Esco lived in the same building as the victim that he sought out.
During the traumatic assault, Esco punched her more than 100 times. He stomped on the woman’s body with his construction boots and spat on her, prosecutors said. The elderly victim sustained severe injuries as a result of this violent attack.
The woman was treated for bleeding on the brain, multiple facial fractures, and bruising and lacerations to her head and face.
In her victim impact statement, the woman who was attacked by Tammel Esco said she lost the place she called home for over 24 years. The home where she was attacked was where she raised her daughters and lived beside her longtime neighbors.
A man seen punching an elderly Asian woman more than 100 times and stomping on her body in a surveillance video in New York has been sentenced to more than 17 years in state prison https://t.co/X1xseAtgVF
— CNN (@CNN) November 30, 2022
Esco pled guilty to assault in the first degree as a hate crime, which has traumatized the victim and her family, the Westchester community and the broader Asian American and Pacific Islander community.
Jennifer Wu, one of the pro bono attorneys for the victim, said the victim wanted to remain anonymous. The victim didn’t want to disclose her medical status and asked for privacy, but appreciated the love and support of the community.
The attack was an isolated incident, said police commissioner Christopher Sapienza. In a news briefing Tuesday, the district attorney described the attack as “one of the most vicious and shocking hate crimes” the area had seen.