The sentence was handed down after Shuping pleaded guilty to assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury and assault inflicting serious bodily injuries in the August 2010 beating of 64-year-old Kue Tai.
Prosecutors say Tai did nothing provoke the assault and did not know his attacker.
In court Monday, Shuping said he attacked Tai because his girlfriend told him she had been raped and he believed Tai was responsible.
"I certainly did not view at that point Mr. Tai as a 65-year-old fisherman. I mean, there was no doubt in my mind that he was a 40-year-old sexual predator," said Shuping.
Shuping said he later realized he was wrong and directly addressed his victim in court.
"Mr. Tai, I'm sorry. I never meant for this to happen," he said. "I really hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me."
Tai suffered a lengthy list of injuries in the beating, including: permanent blindness in the left eye, a ruptured ear drum, fractured facial plate, shattered sinus cavity, lacerated liver, and fractured ribs.
He was emotional after hearing the apology, but managed to respond through an interpreter.
"I hope that he will never harm another person because he harmed one person. He harmed the whole family," said Tai.
Shuping was on felony probation in Virginia at the time of the attack.
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