Six of the nine suspects involved in the beating and death of 22-year-old University of Arizona graduate Bakari Henderson were sentenced to five to 15 years in prison.
A Greek judge issued the verdicts Thursday following a year of family members awaiting justice, reports The New York Times. Six men were sentenced five to 15 years in prison, and three others were convicted of simple assault.
“If someone can be murdered and there is no justice, what makes you think that you can send your child to another country and be safe?” Henderson’s mother, Jill Henderson, told reporters.
In the summer of 2017, Henderson was vacationing on the island of Zakynthos when a gang of Serbians attacked him. He traveled around Greece shooting videos and photos for his upcoming fashion line.
One of the men took offense to Henderson taking a selfie with a white female bartender.
“There are a lot of Serbs in the bar," the Serbian man said. "Why are you talking to a Black guy?” Then, the man punched Henderson. The student retaliated by hitting the man with a beer bottle.
The brawl moved outside of the bar, where then at least nine men chased Henderson, beat him and killed him within 30 seconds, according to police records. Footage caught the brutal attack, yet none of the men were charged with his death.
His injuries were so severe, he was nearly unrecognizable.
"His face was bruised and swollen," Jill told CBS News, "to the point where we put sunglasses on him when we buried him."
CBS News reports the seven Serbian nationals, one Greek and a Briton of Serbian origin claimed they did not intend to kill the Texas native.
The British national was ultimately sentenced to 15 years in prison for causing grievous bodily harm. One of the Serbs involved was sentenced to 10 years; three received seven years and another five years for minor assault charges.
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