Co-defendant in McGuire Memorial hate-crime case receives 10 year sentence
DAUGHERTY TWP. ― Another former healthcare employee from Beaver County has received his sentence for carrying out hate crimes against disabled patients.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, federal judges issued the sentence for 34-year-old Tyler Smith, of New Brighton, on Friday afternoon. The court announced that Smith, a former employee of the McGuire Memorial in-patient healthcare facility, will now spend 10 years in prison and three years under supervised release.
Smith had entered a guilty plea to the hate crime charges in December after his co-defendant, Zachary Dinnell, pleaded guilty to similar charges and was sentenced to 17 years in prison. Smith's charges included one count of conspiracy and one count of violating the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr., Hate Crimes Prevention Act.
Dinnell's sentencing: Former care worker sentenced to 17 years for patient abuse
“Today’s sentencing holds Tyler Smith accountable for the abhorrent and degrading assaults he and Zachary Dinell carried out against more than a dozen victims – simply because they were disabled,” said U.S. Attorney Eric Olshan. “Hate crimes target and terrorize not just individuals but whole communities. Our hope is that today’s result brings some measure of closure to the victims’ families who have shouldered the crushing burden of Smith’s and Dinell’s conduct for so many years. This office and our partners at the FBI will continue to work every day to give voice to the voiceless and protect the most vulnerable members of our communities.”
In December, reporters for The Times wrote that Smith had admitted in his plea that he conspired with Dinell to commit hate crimes against disabled in-patients at McGuire Memorial's facility in Daugherty Township from June 2016 to September 2017. These crimes included various methods of assault, including "punching and kicking residents, rubbing liquid irritants in their eyes, spraying liquid irritants in their eyes and mouths, and, in one instance, removing a resident’s compression stocking in a manner intended to inflict pain."
Smith told federal investigators that he and Dinell were able to avoid detection by exploiting their one-on-one access to residents and selective targeting of non-verbal victims who could not report the abuse.
“I hope today’s decision brings some comfort to the families impacted by this egregious crime,” said FBI Pittsburgh Special Agent in Charge Kevin Rojek. “Today’s sentencing shows there is no room for hatred, and crimes against our most vulnerable citizens will be met with the force of justice. The FBI and our partners stand committed to safeguarding the rights and dignity of every individual.”
This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Co-defendant in McGuire Memorial hate-crime case receives 10 year sentence
