A man who pleaded guilty to attacking Democratic Rep. Angie Craig of Minnesota in a Washington, D.C., elevator this year was sentenced Thursday to 27 months in prison.
Kendrid Khalil Hamlin of Washington was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg. He also faces 36 months of supervised release after his prison term, the Justice Department said in a news release.
Hamlin pleaded guilty in June to one count of assault on a member of Congress stemming from the Feb. 9 attack, in addition to two counts of assault on a law enforcement officer.
A spokesperson for Craig and an attorney for Hamlin did not immediately respond to requests for comment Thursday.
In a victim statement filed this week, Craig said that Hamlin had followed her into the elevator of her apartment complex and trapped her there.
“He grabbed my neck and slammed me into the steel wall. He punched me in the face,” she wrote, adding that the attack left her bruised and with a cut lip.
“While my physical recovery was days, my mental and emotional recovery has taken much longer and is ongoing,” Craig wrote, noting that she faced death threats and was forced to move amid media commentary about her attack.
According to court documents, Hamlin also assaulted officers who attempted to arrest him. He has remained in custody since then.
Hamlin’s 27-month sentence is less than the 39 months sought by prosecutors, who in court documents referred to Hamlin’s past convictions for assaulting officers.
In the defense’s sentencing memo, Hamlin’s attorneys had pushed for a sentencing of one year and a day, and said that Hamlin suffered from severe mental illness and was “off his medication, living in the streets, and struggling acutely with addiction” at the time of his arrest.
An attorney for Hamlin previously said that he did not know Craig was a member of Congress, and Capitol Police have said there was no evidence the congresswoman was targeted because of her position.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Amanda Smith is a dedicated U.S. correspondent with a passion for uncovering the stories that shape the nation. With a background in political science, she provides in-depth analysis and insightful commentary on domestic affairs, ensuring readers are well-informed about the latest developments across the United States.
