Advertisement T-station attack victim criticizes plea deals in case as "slaps on the wrist" Share Shares Copy Link Copy

The victim in what prosecutors charged was a racially motivated attack in a Port Authority T subway station is expressing disappointment over plea deals that will keep all but one of the five people charged in the case out of prison.The May 30, 2015, attack was captured on security camera video at the Wood Street station. It shows defendant Ryan Kyle throwing the victim onto the subway tracks and punching him up to nine times after the victim managed to flee the subway tracks. Prosecutors said Kyle used racial slurs during and after the attack.VIDEO: Watch Bob Mayo's reportVIDEO: DA Zappala responds to T-station attackers plea deals"There's no punishment. The way they would look at if five black guys jumped one white guy. Nobody would be going home. Nobody would get 100 hours of community service," said victim Kevin Lockett.Despite undergoing four expensive reconstructive surgeries to repair the damage from assault, Lockett said he still has impaired vision and faces more medical care and therapy ahead.RAW: T-Station beating after Kenny Chesney ConcertIn a plea deal for dropping attempted homicide charges, Kyle, 22, admitted to aggravated assault, ethnic intimidation, and other charges. Kyle was handcuffed in the courtroom by sheriff deputies and taken into custody when Judge Jeffrey Manning revoked his $25,000 bond. Kyle will be in jail awaiting his sentencing on May 16. Kyle is the only defendant who could face prison time, three to six years, under sentencing guidelines.Under plea deals, others in the group of men, who did not touch the victim as Kyle did, will get probation and no time behind bars. They are Matthew LaPlace, 23, Ken Gault, 22, David Depretis, 21. A fourth, Christopher LaPlace, 23, will appear before Manning to enter his plea deal on Thursday.Gault and Depretis entered "no contest" pleas and were sentenced to six months probation. Matthew LaPlace pleaded guilty to reduced charges and was sentenced to 12 months of probation. All three were also sentenced to 100 hours of community service in a minority community or in a form that would benefit a minority community."(I'm) a little disappointed. You know, slaps on the wrist," said Burkett. "It wouldn't happen like that no other way around. District Attorney Stephen Zappala issued a statement:"As of the time of the no contest and guilty pleas for all five defendants this week, the trial court had not yet been provided a copy of the videotape. It is our intention to provide the tape to the trial court as part of a sentencing memorandum that we will submit in the near future.Once the court reviews the tape, we fully expect that the most culpable defendant, Ryan Kyle, who was the lone participant in the assault of Mr. Lockett, will face a sentence in the state penitentiary.As is the case involving any plea offers from this office, the offers were explained in detail to both the arresting officers and Mr. Lockett, and we are satisfied that the dispositions involving these five defendants are appropriate.""One of these young men was out of control. The others, for lack of a better word, was just sort of there. Everybody was so intoxicated, none of them have much recollection of what occurred, said Patrick Thomassey, the attorney for Matthew LaPlace."In each of the offensive acts, my client's back was turned, walking away from the fray, toward the exit," said Gault's attorney, Robert Del Greco.Matthew LaPlace and his parents apologized to Burkett inside and outside the courtroom Tuesday. The other defendants did not. The judge said to Depretis, "No 'I'm sorry?' No 'This shouldn't have happened?' Nothing to say?"The incident followed a Kenny Chesney concert at Heinz Field.Manning said in court that because all of the defendants are pleading to conspiracy to recklessly endanger Burkett, they will all appear before him again at a later date to address their responsibility for victim restitution.