The Superior Court sentenced Hocog, 22, to a five-year jail term without the possibility of parole for the involuntary manslaughter of Larry Gonzales, 37, a guest worker, who died after being punched in the face by Hocog last year.
“The family of the victim, Larry Gonzales, will have to rely on the court’s judgment and conviction order to ensure [Hocog] complies with the restitution requirement,” according to Assistant Attorney General Peter B. Prestley, who argued for the imprisonment portion of the case after the original prosecutor, Eli Golob, left the commonwealth.
If Hocog fails to pay restitution, Prestley said Gonzales’s family “can seek a civil judgment, and can further seek to garnish the defendant’s wages after he is released.”
“Our hope is that the defendant’s remorse was sincere, and that he will willingly fulfill his responsibilities to Mr. Gonzales’ family,” the prosecutor said.
Judge Perry B. Inos did not impose a probation period because the court imposed the maximum sentence allowable under the law for the crime of involuntary manslaughter, which is five years.
Hocog “agreed to pay over $14,000 in restitution as part of his plea agreement,” Prestley said.
Prior to Hocog’s sentencing, Gonzales’s family in the Philippines was contacted.
Gonzales’s mother described her son as the family’s “breadwinner,” and Inos noted the letter of the victim’s mother during the sentencing hearing.
Inos credited time already served by Hocog at the Department of Corrections facility since his arrest on March 4, 2010.
Gonzales succumbed to head injuries after being in a coma for four days at the Commonwealth Health Center.
Hocog punched Gonzales, causing the victim to fall and hit his head on the concrete pavement near Kagman High School on March 1, 2010.
