Twin Cities Man Charged With Hate Crime After Knocking Out Black Man And Yelling Racial Slurs

Source: Sherburne County jail / Sherburne County jail

A Minnesota white man was charged with federal hate crimes last week for allegedly calling a Black man racial slurs before punching him in the face and knocking him out.

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According to the DOJ, on Feb. 3, 2024, Justin Kudla used force or the threat of force to injure, intimidate and interfere with the victim — a Black man identified in the indictment as Victim 1 — because of Victim 1’s race, color, religion and/or national origin, and because Victim 1 was enjoying the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages and accommodations of a local bar. Kudla was also charged with willfully causing bodily injury to Victim 1 because of Victim 1’s actual and perceived race.

According to the Star Tribune, the victim was identified as Benjamin Morelock of Belle Plain on a GoFundMe, raising money for his medical bills.

A witness who worked at the bar said she heard Kudla call Morelock a racial slur. Kudla then punched Morelock in the face, knocking him unconscious for 20 minutes, the Tribune reported. Morelock was then escorted home.

The bar employee went to check on Morelock days later to find him in bed, going in and out of consciousness. She took him to a nearby hospital before he was transferred to Mayo Clinic in Rochester.

According to his GoFundMe, Morelock suffered from a life-threatening brain injury and fought to survive his injuries, which included brain bleeding, clots and swelling.

Thankfully, Morelock’s GoFundMe hit his goals and he continues his recovery.

“Thank you again for supporting us! This will be a long road, but we see the light FINALLY,” Danielle Pilacinsk, the creator of the GoFundMe page, wrote. Pilacinski was the witness who found Morelock at his home.

This wasn’t Kudla’s first run-in with a hate crime charge. He was also in U.S. District Court this week after being charged with one count of interference with federally protected activities and one count of committing a hate crime, according to Star Tribune.

If convicted, Justin Kudla faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for each offense and a fine of up to $250,000. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors, according to the DOJ.

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