White man convicted of racially motived murder in Belmont road rage case

The white man accused of killing an Afro-Latino man with his car in Belmont two years ago now faces life in prison.

A Middlesex Superior Court jury on Monday convicted Dean Kapsalis of second-degree murder and a violation of constitutional rights.

Witnesses said 54-year-old Kapsalis and Henry Tapia, 34, got into an argument on a quiet residential street in Belmont.

Then, they said, Kapsalis yelled a racial slur, got into his pickup truck, and ran over Tapia.

"We should make no mistake, this was a racially motivated, senseless tragedy," Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan said.

The second-degree murder conviction carries an automatic life sentence. Kapsalis also was found guilty of assault and battery with a deadly weapon and leaving the scene of an accident. Sentencing is slated for June 27.

Tapia left behind a partner and three children.