A Florida man was charged with a federal hate crime today for a murder he committed while staying in the Kansas City, Missouri, area. Sean Walter
A Florida man was charged with a federal hate crime today for a murder he committed while staying in the Kansas City, Missouri, area.
Sean Walter Tonkin, 36, who was staying at a local motel at the time of the alleged offense, was charged in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City with committing a racially motivated hate crime resulting in death.
The indictment alleges that Tonkin, armed with a knife with knuckles, approached 41-year-old Jon Rone, who is black, on July 4, 2023.
Read: Texas Correctional Officers, Inmates Indicted On Charges Of Smuggling Drugs Into Prisons
Unprovoked, Tonkin allegedly directed racial epithets and threats toward the man and ultimately stabbed him twice in the chest and abdomen, resulting in the man’s death.
The indictment alleges that Tonkin attacked Rone because of his race.
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney Teresa A. Moore for the Western District of Missouri, and Special Agent in Charge Stephen A. Cyrus of the FBI Kansas City Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI Kansas City Field Office is investigating the case.
Android Users, Click To Download The Free Press App And Never Miss A Story. Follow Us On Facebook and Twitter. Sign up for our free newsletter.
We can’t do this without your help. Visit our GiveSendGo page and donate any dollar amount; every penny helps.
