An Ohio man has been convicted for his role in a violent beating of a black man inside a parking garage in Charlottesville, Va., last summer during a white supremacist rally.
Daniel Borden was found guilty of malicious wounding in connection to the violent attack on DeAndre Harris in August 2017.
Borden issued an Alford plea deal on Monday, which essentially means he acknowledges prosecutors have enough evidence to secure a conviction. Subsequently, a judge found him guilty in the assault.
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The 19-year-old was known for giving Nazi salutes in his hometown and participated in the deadly “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, according to the C-Ville weekly newspaper.
“His argument is he didn’t have malice in his heart or mind when he did this,” Borden’s attorney, Mike Hallahan, told the local outlet.
Prosecutors reportedly identified Borden as the man attacking Harris in an unsettling video that went viral in following his arrest.
Local law enforcement also reported that Borden wore a white hard hat to the rally that read “Commie Killer.”
According to police reports cited by WCPO, Borden also called his classmates “Jew Boy.”
Borden is scheduled to be sentenced in October, according to reports. He is the third person to be convicted for the attack on Harris.
Jacob Goodwin and Alex Ramos were previously convicted for the malicious wounding and are set to be sentenced in August, according to NBC affiliate WVIR.
Harris was charged previously for assaulting a neo-Confederate figure inside the parking garage. He was later acquitted.