A Virginia man, aged 58, who was known for his fixation on cable news, has been sentenced to life imprisonment for stalking and shooting two Latino men due to his anger over illegal immigration. Douglas Wayne Cornett was handed down the sentence by U.S. District Judge Roderick C. Young on Thursday, following his guilty plea to two federal hate crime charges, each involving an attempt to kill, and discharging a firearm during a federal crime of violence. The sentencing was announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia on Friday.
On the night of February 28, 2024, Cornett left his Spotsylvania residence armed with a 9 mm handgun with a 17-shot magazine. He encountered a white box truck on Interstate 95 driven by the first victim and began honking his horn. Despite being allowed to pass, Cornett continued to tail the truck as it exited the highway and pulled into a gas station.
The first victim, feeling threatened, called a friend who was in the vicinity, informing him that he was being followed by a van. The friend, also a Latino adult male and referred to as the second victim in the court documents, arrived at the gas station and confronted Cornett about his actions. Cornett, who had parked at the gas pump next to the truck, responded by questioning the first victim about his duration of stay in the United States.
Upon learning that the first victim had been in the country for approximately a year and a half, Cornett drew his Sig Sauer P320 handgun and fired six shots from his vehicle. Four of these bullets hit the two victims, with the first victim being shot twice in the stomach and once in the arm, and the second victim once in the stomach. Cornett then returned home and informed his roommates about the shooting.
Cornett was swiftly identified as the shooter and arrested on February 29, 2024. He confessed to the shooting, explaining to federal authorities that he was clear about his intentions at the time. He expressed his frustration over illegal immigration, particularly about undocumented immigrants receiving welfare benefits, phones, and health insurance. He also admitted to having previously harbored similar thoughts.
Cornett’s roommates, during their interview with investigators, described him as an avid viewer of cable television news, particularly obsessed with news about the entry of non-citizens into the United States at the southern border. In addition to the life sentences for the hate crimes, Judge Young also sentenced Cornett to an additional 10 years for the firearms charge, to be served consecutively.