A Greek court on Friday cleared 9 men of murder in the brutal beating death of American tourist Bakari Henderson. Henderson, 22, was killed during a bar brawl in July of 2017.
Six suspects, who were held in custody since their arrests last year, were convicted of assault charges and sentenced to prison terms ranging from 5 years to 15 years.
Three men were acquitted on all charges. All of the suspects say they never intended to kill Henderson.
Henderson, of Austin, Texas, was on a working vacation in Greece when he visited a bar with a friend. He had planned to shoot promotional video for his own line of apparel, according to CBS News.
Witnesses say an argument ensued after one of the suspects objected to Henderson taking a Selfie with a Serbian woman.
The woman told police that when she posed for a photo with Henderson, a man said, “There are a lot of Serbs in the bar. Why are you talking to a black guy?”
She said one of the men hit Henderson, and he hit the man back. The brawl continued outside, where the men chased Henderson down the street and punched and kicked him to death.
Surveillance footage from the bar shows a group of men attacking Henderson in the street. At least one of the men beat him with brass knuckles.
Henderson’s parents traveled from their home in Texas to Greece for every hearing. They hoped to see all nine of the suspects sentenced to life in prison for the senseless murder of their son.
Phil Henderson told CBS News after the sentencing that he, “can’t understand, a man’s life here in Greece doesn’t mean anything.”
“You should not be able to chase a man down and beat him to death and not go to jail,” his wife, Jill Henderson, added, before breaking down in tears.
