A Massachusetts man convicted of murder in the 2021 death of a Black man following a racial road rage altercation was sentenced to life in prison on Wednesday, with the option of parole after 15 years.
Dean Kapsalis of Hudson was found guilty by a jury last year of second-degree murder, constitutional violations, and other charges in the death of Henry Tapia. Kapsalis and Tapia had an argument on January 19, 2021. Investigators discovered that as the altercation came to a close, Kapsalis shouted a racist insult and then hit Tapia with his pickup as he drove away. Prosecutors said Tapia died at a hospital.
“The murder of Henry Tapia is a senseless tragedy fueled by hate and anger,” District Attorney Marian Ryan said following the conviction last year. “The fact that some of the last words Henry Tapia heard were a horrific racial insult meant to intimidate and threaten him based on the color of his skin is something we cannot tolerate.”
According to The Boston Globe, Judge David A. Deakin ruled Wednesday that the punishment was appropriate to the crime. While acknowledging Kasalis’ support from friends and family, the judge stated that “your record reflects essentially a lifelong tendency toward violence.”
Deakin also addressed Tapia’s relatives, who left behind a fiancee and children.
“I am well aware that no sentence can give them what they most want, which is to have Mr. Tapia back,” Deakin was quoted as saying. “If I could, I wouldn’t do anything other than that.”
Kapsalis claimed at trial that Tapia’s death was accidental. His punishment was delayed due to his unsuccessful attempt to have his conviction reduced to manslaughter.