A former Wake Forest University assistant basketball coach was found guilty Thursday of punching a man in New York who later died.
Jamill Jones, 37, was convicted of assault in the third degree, a misdemeanor that carries a maximum sentence of one year in prison. He will be sentenced March 18.
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Jones, who resigned from Wake Forest last April, was charged in an August 2018 assault.
Authorities said Millbrook High School graduate Sandor Szabo was attending a wedding in Queens, N.Y., when he banged on the window of Jones’ car, mistaking it for an Uber.
An offended Jones punched Szabo so hard that he hit the pavement, police said. He was pronounced brain dead at the hospital.
The New York Medical Examiner determined that Szabo, 35, died from a blunt impact to his head that caused a brain injury and ruled his death a homicide.
"The defendant could have driven away from the scene or call 911. Instead, he retaliated by getting out of his car and punching the victim," Queens County District Attorney Melinda Katz said in a statement. "This was a death that could have been avoided, sparing the victim’s family the loss of a loved one."