Prosecutors Want FRC Attacker Sentenced to 45 Years
Prosecutors say a Virginia man who plotted to commit a mass murder at the Family Research Council's headquarters in Washington, D.C., should be made to serve a 45-year sentence.
The Associated Press reports that prosecutors filed a document on Friday containing their recommendation for 28-year-old Floyd Corkins II, who is scheduled to be sentenced on April 29.
Corkins entered the Christian group's headquarters in August and pointed a pistol at an unarmed security guard, who charged the gunman and was shot in the arm during the struggle, according to the FBI. The guard successfully disarmed Corkins, however, and forced him onto his belly on the ground.
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The sentencing recommendation filed by the government says the guard's actions likely prevented "a massacre of epic proportions."
"Although the defendant largely failed to bring about the violence he sought, he was still able to accomplish one of his objectives – that is, to use acts of violence to terrorize and intimidate those within the District of Columbia and the United States who did not share his political beliefs and views," prosecutors wrote, according to AP.
In February, Corkins pleaded guilty to charges of assault with intent to kill while armed, committing an act of terrorism while armed and interstate transportation of a firearm and ammunition, which when combined carry a maximum possible prison sentence of 70 years. The assailant also signed a statement of offense that said he attacked the FRC because of the organization's views on certain issues, including its stance against the recognition of gay marriage.
At the time of the attack, Corkins was carrying a backpack containing a box of ammunition and 15 Chick-fil-A sandwiches, which he later told authorities he had planned to smear on the faces of his victims. A few months earlier, the restaurant chain's president and COO, Dan Cathy, had made some comments in opposition to gay marriage that were widely discussed in the media.
"Chick-fil-A came out against gay marriage, so I was going to use that as a statement," Corkins told the FBI.
Corkins also had a hit list with him during the attack, which had written on it the names of four conservative organizations, including the FRC. He later told law enforcement officials that he would have gone on to attack the next group on the list if he had been successful at the FRC.
On Monday, the AP reports, defense attorneys in the case asked to put Corkins' sentencing on hold so they would have time to examine his mental health records.
