New York City man indicted on hate crime murder charge following brutal beating of 61-year-old Chinese immigrant

• Jarrod Powell was indicted on second-degree murder as a hate crime on Thursday.
• Powell is accused of beating Chinese immigrant Yao Pan Ma, 61, in April.

A New York City man accused of brutally beating an elderly Chinese immigrant last year, leading to the 61-year-old man's death, now faces a charge of second-degree murder as a hate crime, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced on Thursday.

Jarrod Powell, 50, initially pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted murder and assault as a hate crime in connection to the April 2021 beating of Yao Pan Ma, which was caught on surveillance video.

Those charges were upgraded at a court hearing on Thursday, after Ma succumbed to his injuries on New Year's Eve, more than eight months after the attack.

An attorney for Powell did not immediately return Insider's request for comment on Friday.

"The devastating death of Yao Pan Ma, a beloved father of two, occurred amidst a surge of anti-Asian attacks targeting our families, friends, neighbors, and New York values," District Attorney Bragg said in a press release on Thursday. "As alleged, Jarrod Powell selectively attacked Mr. Ma for no other reason than his race."

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"Tragically, our Office is currently prosecuting 33 hate crime cases driven by anti-Asian bias – unfortunately, the most we have had since our Hate Crimes Unit was established in 2010," Bragg added. "Now, more than ever, it is essential that we, as prosecutors and as New Yorkers, remain vigilant and forcefully reject bias-fueled crimes in our communities."

According to the DA's office, Powell ran up behind Ma at the corner of 125th Street and 3rd Avenue in East Harlem around 8:15 p.m. on April 24, 2021.

Powell proceeded to strike Ma, knocking him to the ground. He then stomped on his head multiple times and repeatedly kicked him in the face and neck, before fleeing the scene, the press release states.

An MTA bus driver who witnessed the attack flagged down a nearby ambulance, which took Ma to the hospital, where he was treated for facial fractures and bleeding on the brain, according to the press release.

Ma sustained a traumatic brain injury and was placed on life support. He remained hospitalized until his death on December 31, 2021, the release states.

Powell was arrested four days after the attack.

According to the DA's press release, Powell told officials after his arrest that he had been attacked by two Korean or Japanese men the day before he attacked Ma, but admitted that he did not report the robbery. He also couldn't provide more descriptions of his alleged assailants.

Ma's widow, Baozhen Chen, previously told the New York Daily News that her husband was collecting cans when he was attacked. She said he had lost his restaurant job during the pandemic and was collecting cans to help contribute to rent.

The couple moved to the US from China in 2018, Chen told CBS New York.