Ronald Ebens

Ronald Ebens

Ronald Madis Ebens, with his stepson, Michael Nitz, as an accomplice, fatally beat Vincent Chin, a Chinese American, on June 19, 1982. This led to a federal indictment for violating Vincent Chin's civil rights, but only after public outrage at the probationary sentence and small fine imposed by Michigan Third Circuit Court Judge Charles Kaufman. This sentence could not be reversed due to the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which prohibits double jeopardy.