Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly announced that Vernon Lowe, age 56, of Roosevelt, was sentenced on Monday, Nov. 7, to 25 years to life in prison after being convicted by a jury.
“A hardworking immigrant employed at a gas station was repeatedly harassed by defendant Vernon Lowe while trying to help customers,” Donnelly said. “In order to diffuse the situation, the victim gave the defendant $10 to leave the business but was later brutally beaten by Lowe with a metal tool in the face.”
The attack took place in Nassau County on Thursday, Nov. 29, 2018, in Roosevelt at the Sunoco gas station located on Nassau Road.
Lowe arrived on a bicycle at the Sunoco and went into and out of the gas station convenience store and approached the victim and other customers, the DA's Office said.
As the gas station attendant was making change for a customer, Lowe struck the attendant in the face with a pair of metal vice grips, which caused the man to fall down and strike the back of his head on the pavement. The defendant stole money from the victim and left the scene on a bicycle, Donnelly said.
The victim suffered a broken nose, several broken teeth, and lacerations to the face, officials said.
Lowe was arrested within 25 minutes after the incident by members of the Nassau County Police Department.
He was previously convicted of murder in 1994, the DA's Office said.
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