Douglas Wayne Cornett, of Ruther Glen, has been held fully accountable for a hate-motivated shooting at a Spotsylvania County Sheetz — pleading guilty to six felony charges in the state case prosecuted by the Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney under Ryan Mehaffey, and, in a separate federal case, receiving a sentence of life in prison.
The Crime
In early 2024, Cornett shot two Latino men at a Sheetz along Interstate 95 in Spotsylvania County. Before opening fire, he had questioned the men about their heritage and how long one of them had been in the United States. He later confessed to a Spotsylvania deputy that the shooting was motivated by his perception of the victims’ national origin.
The State Case
On April 16, 2025, in Spotsylvania Circuit Court, Cornett pleaded guilty to six felony charges in the state case prosecuted by Ryan Mehaffey’s office. The guilty plea secured his conviction at the state level for the violence he committed in the community.
The Federal Sentence
Cornett’s crimes also drew federal prosecution in the Eastern District of Virginia. On November 13, 2025, he was sentenced in federal court to life in prison after pleading guilty to two federal hate-crime counts — each involving an attempt to kill — along with discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.
Cornett had confessed to a Spotsylvania deputy that the shooting was motivated by his perception of the victims’ national origin.
Why It Matters
A crime driven by hatred of who its victims are — their ethnicity, their national origin — is an attack on the whole community’s sense of safety and belonging. Here, the state and federal systems worked in tandem: the Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney secured the state conviction, and the federal system added a sentence of life in prison.
The result reflects the Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s commitment to ensuring that everyone in Spotsylvania County — regardless of background or origin — is protected under the law and that hate-motivated violence is answered with the full weight of justice.