PROVIDENCE, R.I.
The Rhode Island Supreme Court has upheld the conviction of a Connecticut man who assaulted a former Brown University basketball player, leaving him permanently impaired.
The Providence Journal reports the court ruling Wednesday supported the felony assault conviction of 29-year-old Tory Lussier in the 2013 attack on Joseph Sharkey.
Prosecutors say Lussier confronted Sharkey after consuming several drinks in May 2013. Sharkey’s companion testified that he had his back turned when Lussier punched him in the face, causing the man to fall and hit his head.
Court records show Sharkey has long-term mental impairments and had to learn to walk again after the assault.
Lussier was given a seven-year suspended sentence, and he received a less than honorable discharge from the Marines.
