Two men accused of brutally beating San Francisco Giants fan Bryan Stow in 2011 pleaded guilty Thursday and were sentenced to prison.
Stow, 45, of Santa Cruz, California, suffered brain damage after Louie Sanchez, 31, attacked him from behind and continued to punch and kick Stow while he was on the ground, Reuters reports. The other defendant, Marvin Norwood, 33, assisted Sanchez by keeping Stow's friends from helping the man as he was pummeled on the ground.
Both men were sentenced to state prison for their parts in the severe attack, and the sentencing judge was less than lenient.
SF Giants Fan Beating
Sanchez and Norwood were both facing felony charges for the beating that occurred after a March 2011 baseball game between the San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium in L.A. The senseless attack was premised on a Giants/Dodgers rivalry, and Stow -- who was wearing Giants gear -- was left with brain trauma which put him in a coma.
Almost three years after the attack, Stow remains in the care of his family, needing help to shower, dress, and take medication, Reuters reports.
For the kicking and punching that likely placed Stow in his current condition, Sanchez pleaded guilty to a felony count of mayhem. Mayhem is a serious violent offense reserved for when an attacked maliciously disables or disfigures a victim and/or a part of his body. Sanchez received the maximum allowable sentence for mayhem, eight years in prison.
Norwood only received four years in prison after pleading guilty to an assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury.
Convictions and Pending Suits
Since the 2011 attack, there have been several suits filed by Stow's family on behalf of Bryan, charging the L.A. Dodgers and the team's owner with failing to prevent Stow's attack.
The Dodgers have been attempting to dodge liability for Stow's injuries and had even requested that a federal bankruptcy court dismiss the suit in 2012. While Sanchez and Norwood's convictions are not damning to the Dodgers, it does provide conclusive legal proof that a violent crime occurred in the Dodgers' backyard.
Giovanni Ramirez, the man initially identified as one of Stow's attackers and later exonerated, may use Sanchez and Norwood's convictions as the final piece in his defamation case against the LAPD.
For former paramedic Bryan Stow, hopefully these convictions give him and his relatives some sense of peace or finality.
- Bryan Stow case: Judge rebukes defendants who 'show no remorse' (Los Angeles Times)
- Bryan Stow Lawsuit: Family Blames Dodgers for Brutal Beating (FindLaw's Tarnished Twenty)
- Giovanni Ramirez Exonerated in Bryan Stow Beating (FindLaw's Tarnished Twenty)
- Giants Fan Bryan Stow's Children Can't Join his Lawsuit, Judge Rules (FindLaw's Tarnished Twenty)