AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Three men won't serve any additional jail time after reaching plea deals in an assault on a gay couple in downtown Austin, Texas.
The 2019 attack on Spencer Deehring and Tristan Perry inspired a rally at the Capitol and the creation of a citizens' foot patrol.
Four men were charged in the beating, and three of them — Quinn O'Connor, Frank Macias, and Kolby Monell — were sentenced last week after reaching a plea deal on misdemeanor charges.
Charges were dropped against the fourth man who was charged, Miguel Macias.
According to the Associated Press, a judge sentenced O'Connor and Monell to probation.
Although Frank Macias was sentenced to one year in jail, the AP reported that he was credited for time served.
Attorneys representing the men charged have said the case did not meet the threshold to be considered a hate crime.
Frank Macias’ attorney Rhett Braniff told the AP that a jury might not have seen this as a hate crime if presented with the evidence.
He added that the fight might have happened "regardless of the sexual orientation of either of them," the AP reported.
In a statement to the AP, Miguel Macias’ lawyer Brian Erskine said the defendants' case "was overcharged and motivated by misinformation" and the community was enraged by law enforcement "with a ruse of bigotry."
