SAN DIEGO -- John Arnold listened intently, but he barely spoke as he was sentenced to three years of probation and ordered to pay $6,400 in restitution for his role in a violent party in a Jamul home in April 2009.

His father, Jerry Arnold Jr., did not appear in court but was sentenced to probation and $6,000 restitution.

The men were charged for indirect involvement in the brutal beating of 18-year-old Chris Jones at a party in 2009. During the party held at the elder Arnold’s home, a group of white men beat Jones, bit him in the back and vandalized his car, authorities said. Some called the incident a hate crime because Jones is black.

"When I walked into the emergency room, I didn’t even know if he was alive," said Denise Brown, Jones’ mother.

Brown said the punishments handed down amounted to a slap on the wrist.

"That’s the reason my son isn’t here. We knew that today would be a dog-and-pony act," she said.

Oscar Garcia, who handles hate crime cases for the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office, said they did the best they could with the limited evidence available in the case.

"The evidence was that a hate crime occurred, but we couldn’t prove who the attackers were," he explained.

Authorities said many of the eyewitnesses were either too drunk to be reliable or they simply refused to come forward. Garcia said the investigation was extensive, with dozens of people interviewed.

“So you can’t charge a hate crime if you can’t get people up to the plate, and that’s the part that’s really sad,” said Brown.

John Arnold was charged with disturbing the peace and he admitted he took part in vandalizing Jones’ car.

Jerry Arnold Jr. was charged under the county's social host ordinance and was held liable for throwing a party with underage drinking, which led to violence and a response by law enforcement.

“And it’s come down to a misdemeanor and a violation of having a party … it’s just amazing,” said Brown.

While the criminal case is now over for the Arnolds, the issue is not as both are named in a civil lawsuit filed by Jones.

The lawsuit is expected to go to court next year.