Florida Dunkin' Donuts manager Corey Pujols sentenced to house arrest after fatally punching customer 

Florida Dunkin’ Donuts manager Corey Pujols has been sentenced to two years of house arrest after fatally punching a customer who used a racial slur against him. The former pleaded guilty to felony battery. The 27-year-old has since been ordered to complete 200 hours of community service and attend anger management classes.

The incident occurred on May 4 in the afternoon. According to court records, Vonelle Cook, a 77-year-old registered s*x offender, was a regular at Dunk’s drive-thru. Cook was angry with the lack of service as employees were unable to hear him clearly.

He started to yell at the employees and was immediately asked to leave. However, he parked his car outside and proceeded to walk into the establishment. Cook went on to verbally abuse employees.

Vonelle Cook was fatally punched at a Dunkin' restaurant (Image via Florida Department of Law Enforcement)

Corey Pujols asked his co-worker to call the police, which angered Cook. During their argument, Cook called Pujols a racial slur. Though the employee asked him not to call him the same again, Cook continued to do so.

According to the station, this led to Pujols punching the customer in the jaw. He immediately fell and hit his head to the ground. He was taken to the hospital, where he died three days later.

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Dunkin’ worker Corey Pujols charged with aggravated manslaughter

Following Vonelle Cook’s hospital admission, an autopsy reported that he suffered severe brain contusions and a skull fracture.

The employee was charged with aggravated manslaughter. However, prosecutors accepted a plea deal. According to FOX 13, Corey Pujols agreed to a plea deal to the lower charge of felony battery.

The State now says that Pujols never intended to kill Vonelle Cook. Grayson Kamm, the Chief Communications Officer of the Office of the State Attorney, said:

“This outcome holds the defendant accountable while taking into account the totality of the circumstances—the aggressive approach and despicable racial slur used by the victim, along with the defendant’s age, lack of criminal record, and lack of intent to cause the victim’s death.”

Kamm continued:

“Two of the primary factors were the aggressive approach the victim took toward the defendant and everyone working with the defendant, and that the victim repeatedly used possibly the most aggressive and offensive term in the English language.”

Corey Pujols' attorneys had not commented on the case at the time of writing this article.