Norwich man pleads guilty in Ravi Mart beating
A 21-year-old man pleaded guilty Tuesday in New London Superior Court to taking part in a May 18, 2016, beating at the Ravi Mart gas station in Norwich that left the victim with bleeding on the brain and a collapsed lung.
Hugh Lowery will be sentenced Oct. 31 to a year in prison followed by two years of probation.
One of five men charged with the crime, Lowery was the first to resolve his case. He pleaded guilty to second-degree assault under the Alford Doctrine, an indication he doesn't agree with the state's version of the crime, but doesn't want to risk receiving a harsher sentence if convicted at trial.
The victim, who was placed in an induced coma and put on a ventilator at The William W. Backus Hospital, was in the hospital and a rehabilitation center for about two months and suffers from confusion and disorientation as a result of his traumatic brain injury. He said his assailants stole $400 and a cellphone from him.
According to Norwich police, officers, who were sent to the gas station at 10:40 p.m. for a man on the ground, found the victim lying face down next to a gas pump with facial lacerations and swelling of the head. Witnesses told police multiple people ran from the scene, and they saw a grayish SUV drive away.
Officer Christopher Hawrylik pulled over a blue SUV a short time later and questioned the occupants. One of them, Tremaine Dowdell, was later identified as a suspect after officers viewed video footage from the gas station, which showed several men punching and kicking the victim while he lay on the ground, according to the affidavit.
They also identified Lowery, Wellington Griffin, Kwendelle Wiggins and Rasheed Serrano.
Police said they obtained video footage from pole-mounted cameras on Central Avenue that shows the suspects chasing the victim down the street toward the gas station. They also learned that earlier in the day, Griffin had said he wanted to "bash the victim's brains" after learning the victim had stolen $25 from a man who wanted to buy heroin.
The video showing Lowery in the area has not been preserved due to "technological issues," according to prosecutor Lawrence J. Tytla. The prosecutor had worked out the plea agreement with Lowery's attorney, Gregg W. Wagman. He said Lowery has a pending motor vehicle charge that would be resolved separately.
The other men accused in the assault all have upcoming court dates.
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