Indian techie murder: US Navy veteran pleads guilty

In the shooting that took place in a Kansas city pub last year, US Navy veteran Adam Purinton on Wednesday pleaded guilty to killing Indian techie Srinivas Kuchibhotla and injuring two others - Alok Madasani and Ian Grillot.

Purinton was charged with first-degree murder of Kuchibhotla and two counts of attempted first-degree murder in the shootings of his friend, Alok and a bystander.

Welcoming the guilty plea, Kuchibhotla’s wife Sunayana said that the verdict will send a strong message that hate is never acceptable.

The accused has earlier pleaded not guilty and waived his preliminary hearing in late November 2017.

Now, he faces a maximum penalty of death or life in prison.

Kuchibhotla and his colleague Alok were having a drink at a local bar on February 22 last year when they had an altercation with Purinton who had reportedly been shouting racial slurs.

He reportedly shouted “get out of my country” and “terrorist” before firing shots at them. An American national, Ian Grillot tried to intervene and chased Purinton after he fled the bar but got injured in the attack. Five hours after the incident, Purinton was arrested and charged with murder and attempted murder.