Robert Coleman, a 27 year-old from Virginia, has been charged with second-degree murder after he fatally punched a woman who referred to him by the n word during a heated argument. Coleman will be sentenced on May 24, and is expected to spend 10 years behind bars for his crime.
The incident occurred after Coleman and his girlfriend entered a nearby 7-Eleven to purchase cigarettes, when they eventually ran into the victim, Fedelia Montiel-Benitez, who was intoxicated at the time and purchasing more alcohol. The two began to argue (although the exact cause of the verbal exchange remains unknown) as Coleman's girlfriend was seen on security footage trying to break up the heated quarrel. Montiel-Benitez briefly left the store before returning to face Coleman, which was when she allegedly uttered the racial slur.
This triggered a sense of rage in Coleman, which resulted in him punching the woman. Montiel-Benitez was put in a coma following the altercation, and died ten days later.
Coleman insists he never meant to kill the victim, and initially confused her for a male because of her larger frame and shorter hair. The deceased's attorney is arguing that she did not know enough English to use such a derogatory word, and even if she did, it was not worth murdering her over.
While Coleman's lawyer is not pleased with the second-degree murder charge, they are content with incarceration period, as the standard jail time for such a crime is 40 years.
