KANSAS CITY, Kan. — The man convicted of killing one person and injuring two others at an Olathe bar has been sentenced to three life sentences on a federal hate crime charge.
U.S. District Judge Carlos Murguia also ordered Adam Purinton to pay the family of the victim, Srinivas Kuchibhotla, restitution of $14,200.
A family representative of Sunayana Dumala, Kuchibhotla's wife, was in attendance, saying it was too difficult for Dumala to attend Tuesday's hearing. She did submit a letter to the court that read, in part:
"If you could have kept your anger inside and spoke to my husband softly, Srinu would have been more than happy to share his background and help you understand that not every brown skinned person is suspicious or evil, but kind, smart and contributing to America. Instead you chose to rage and bully in anger and when you were stopped, you decided to take their lives."
Dumala also released a statement to the press, writing that Purinton hadn't taken away her "freedom to make a difference in the world in Srinu's memory."
She has started a Facebook page in this spirit called Forever Welcome. She wrote it focuses on the positive contributions of immigrants to the United States.
Puriton shot and killed Kuchibhotla, Dumala's husband, on Feb. 22, 2017. He also shot Alok Madasani and Ian Grillot. According to court documents, he allegedly asked the victims if they were legal citizens of the United States before he shot them.
In May a Kansas state judge sentenced Purinton to 78 years in prison for Kuchibhotla’s murder and the attempted murders of Madasani and Grillot.
Under that plea agreement, Purinton isn’t eligible for parole until he is 130 years old.
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