Teen Who Videotaped Fatal Beating Posted To Facebook Sentenced To 30 Years In Prison
By Chuck Sudo in News on Sep 12, 2013 8:30PM
Anthony Malcolm
“I could feel your pain,” the teenager said looking at Mora’s family. “I’m truly sorry. . . . It was something I never wanted to happen.”
Malcolm, along with Malik Jones and Nicholas Ayala, made national headlines when video of the attack on Mora was posted to Facebook. The three were playing a game of “pick ‘em out, knock ‘em out" in July 2012 when they targeted Mora, who was collecting empty cans to supplement his disability payments. Jones, who threw the punch that killed Mora, could be seen in the video shouting “bitch” as Mora hit the pavement and Ayala rifled through Mora’s wallet.
Malcolm was found guilty in July. His attorneys argued he was only guilty of holding the cellphone camera to record the beating. Claps, when he handed down the verdict, said Malcolm wasn’t only present, he was accountable.
“It’s a sad travesty that Mr. Delfino Mora died because of the actions of people who apparently think that what they were doing was a game,” Claps said. “Well, it wasn’t a game for Mr. Mora and his family.”--snip--
“A man is lying in the alley unconscious and there’s no information that I’m aware of that this defendant took any action, even anonymously, to call for help for that individual,” Claps said.
Claps allowed family and friends of Malcolm to testify before the sentencing. All of them said they didn’t believe Malcolm was capable of such a heinous crime.
Sometimes, Anthony Malcolm would make his family breakfast, she said. “Ultimately, he wanted to be an FBI agent,” said Malcolm’s aunt, Rosemary Rodriguez said of her nephew.When a defense attorney asked Rodriguez — a retired Chicago Public Schools teacher — if there was anything in Malcolm’s past that would predict he’d be in trouble with the law, she broke down crying.
“No,” she said. “He was just a good kid.”
Jones and Ayala are still awaiting trial.