Late Breaking News on the Long Island,NY Hate Crime.NY hate crime suspect now charged with murder
By FRANK ELTMAN – 51 minutes ago
RIVERHEAD, N.Y. (AP) — The killing of an Ecuadorean immigrant by seven high school students was part of a spree in which the teenagers tormented other immigrants while armed with knives and BB guns, prosecutors said Thursday. The teens were indicted Thursday on more serious offenses — including murder as a hate crime for one accused of wielding the knife — than they initially faced when arrested in the Nov. 8 killing of Marcelo Lucero. Prosecutors said the teenagers had been hanging out with friends when someone suggested they go "beaner jumping," a derogatory term they used as a euphemism for attacking Hispanics. The group drove around Patchogue and (1) encountered a Hispanic man and attempted to rough him up, but the man escaped, prosecutors said. Shortly before midnight, (2) the group came upon Lucero and a companion walking near the Patchogue train station. The group surrounded their victims, but Lucero's friend managed to flee the scene unharmed, prosecutors said. Lucero tried to fight back, smacking one of the teens with his belt, but was soon overwhelmed by the mob, prosecutors said. Jeffrey Conroy ended the fight by plunging a knife into Lucero's chest, authorities say. District Attorney Thomas Spota said the other six were unaware that Conroy had stabbed Lucero until he told them as they fled the scene. The prosecutor said that because the other teens did not know about the stabbing until afterward, they were not being charged with murder. The six suspects were arraigned Thursday on charges including gang assault, conspiracy, attempted assault and attempted gang assault. Lawyers for the six entered not guilty pleas. Conroy will answer to an upgraded charge of second-degree murder as a hate crime, as well as manslaughter, gang assault and other crimes at a Monday hearing.
Conroy could face 25 years to life in prison and the others could be sentenced to five to 25 years if convicted of the most serious charges. Attorneys for all seven have said their clients are innocent. Advocates for Hispanics and others have spoken out against the killing, which took place days after Barack Obama was elected as the country's first black president. "It is tragic that a crime of this nature, a xenophobic lynching, happened just as the United States celebrates a historic step forward in which racial barriers have been overcome," Ecuadorean Ambassador Luis Gallegos said last week.
By FRANK ELTMAN – 51 minutes ago
RIVERHEAD, N.Y. (AP) — The killing of an Ecuadorean immigrant by seven high school students was part of a spree in which the teenagers tormented other immigrants while armed with knives and BB guns, prosecutors said Thursday. The teens were indicted Thursday on more serious offenses — including murder as a hate crime for one accused of wielding the knife — than they initially faced when arrested in the Nov. 8 killing of Marcelo Lucero. Prosecutors said the teenagers had been hanging out with friends when someone suggested they go "beaner jumping," a derogatory term they used as a euphemism for attacking Hispanics. The group drove around Patchogue and (1) encountered a Hispanic man and attempted to rough him up, but the man escaped, prosecutors said. Shortly before midnight, (2) the group came upon Lucero and a companion walking near the Patchogue train station. The group surrounded their victims, but Lucero's friend managed to flee the scene unharmed, prosecutors said. Lucero tried to fight back, smacking one of the teens with his belt, but was soon overwhelmed by the mob, prosecutors said. Jeffrey Conroy ended the fight by plunging a knife into Lucero's chest, authorities say. District Attorney Thomas Spota said the other six were unaware that Conroy had stabbed Lucero until he told them as they fled the scene. The prosecutor said that because the other teens did not know about the stabbing until afterward, they were not being charged with murder. The six suspects were arraigned Thursday on charges including gang assault, conspiracy, attempted assault and attempted gang assault. Lawyers for the six entered not guilty pleas. Conroy will answer to an upgraded charge of second-degree murder as a hate crime, as well as manslaughter, gang assault and other crimes at a Monday hearing.
Conroy could face 25 years to life in prison and the others could be sentenced to five to 25 years if convicted of the most serious charges. Attorneys for all seven have said their clients are innocent. Advocates for Hispanics and others have spoken out against the killing, which took place days after Barack Obama was elected as the country's first black president. "It is tragic that a crime of this nature, a xenophobic lynching, happened just as the United States celebrates a historic step forward in which racial barriers have been overcome," Ecuadorean Ambassador Luis Gallegos said last week.
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From another article:
Every now and then, perhaps once a week, seven young friends got together in their hamlet of Medford, on eastern Long Island, to hunt down, and hurt, Hispanic men. They made a sport of it, calling their victims “beaners,” a reference to the staple Hispanic dish of rice and beans, prosecutors said on Thursday.
Nov. 8 was a particularly long and violent day, the prosecutors said. Two of the teenagers set out in their car at dawn and one of them fired a BB gun at a Hispanic man in his driveway, striking him several times. That evening, the group, now seven strong, drank beer in a park and searched for more victims. They found and beat a Hispanic man in neighboring Patchogue, but he was able to escape.
Then, shortly before midnight, prosecutors said, they caught sight of Marcelo Lucero, an Ecuadorean immigrant walking with a friend near the train station in Patchogue. The teenagers surrounded, taunted and beat Mr. Lucero, who tried to fight back. One of the youths fatally stabbed Mr. Lucero, 37, a worker at a dry cleaning store and 16-year resident of the United States who regularly sent money to his ailing mother in Ecuador.
Six of the seven teenagers, now defendants charged with multiple counts of gang assault and hate crimes, were arraigned Thursday in Suffolk County Criminal Court.
“To them, it was a sport,” Thomas J. Spota, Suffolk County’s district attorney, said in a news conference after the defendants were arraigned. “We know for sure that there are more victims out there.”
More:
three defendants, Anthony Hartford, Kevin Shea and Jose Pacheco, all 17, went out driving five days before Mr. Lucero was killed with the intent of, in their words, “beaner hopping.”
They found a Hispanic man that day whom Mr. Pacheco admitted to punching and knocking out cold, Mr. Spota said. That victim has not stepped forward. Mr. Pacheco later told the police, “I don’t go out and do this very often, maybe once a week,” Mr. Spota said.
About 5 a.m. on Nov. 8, Nicholas Hausch and Jordan Dasch, both 17, fired a BB gun at Marlon Garcia, hitting him several times. In the evening, the seven friends got together and, after failing to find potential victims in Medford, set off for Patchogue, where they saw Hector Sierra walking downtown. They caught up to him and punched him before he ran away.
Shortly before midnight, the teens saw Mr. Lucero and his friend, Angel Loja. They got out of their car and taunted the men with racist slurs. Mr. Loja fled, but the group surrounded Mr. Lucero and punched him in the face.
from a NYtimes article: Chris Kirby, the lawyer for Mr. Pacheco, said in court that his client was of Hispanic descent and therefore incapable of a racist attack. “The idea that he, of Hispanic heritage, would beat up another Hispanic is patently absurd,” Mr. Kirby said.
Personally I think it's absurd that a lawyer would attempt to use that at all. He must be hoping that people would not know the difference between those who identify as white, culturally, and are Hispanic only on paper, versus some Latinos, who are definitely Hispanic as well, but would never be considered white. It's kind of like the difference between Salma Hayek and Cameron Diaz, or Selena and Christina Aguilera.
Dave, not even that. I personally know of other hate crimes against Latinos where another Latino has been involved, where there are issues of "passing" and "fitting in" as well as self hate in communities that are rapidly changing and experiencing shifts in demographics.
It's like when there is a case of racist police brutality involving an officer who is not white. In the police department there is one color to be loyal to, blue.
As long as race is normalized as white and everything else is othered you will see this happening.
mamitamala,
Thanks. That's what I should've included to say, because that is so true.
This appears to be a clear cut case of premeditated hate crime murder.
No excuses.
mamitamala,
I agree with you.
The news reports said Conyers was one of the most popular jocks in school. He befriended some minorities, both Puerto Rican and Black. He convinced them to go on his weekly "Beaner Bashing" raids. It is clear they wanted to fit in, or as you say "normalized". They didnt want to upset the swatika´d Conyers.
It is very sad when you think about it.
What is clear is, we have to stop the hate and ensure these criminals are punished to the fullest extent of the law so these type of hate crimes do not happen again!
mamitamala said...
Dave, not even that. I personally know of other hate crimes against Latinos where another Latino has been involved, where there are issues of "passing" and "fitting in" as well as self hate in communities that are rapidly changing and experiencing shifts in demographics.
It's like when there is a case of racist police brutality involving an officer who is not white. In the police department there is one color to be loyal to, blue.
As long as race is normalized as white and everything else is othered you will see this happening.
an anti said:
"This appears to be a clear cut case of premeditated hate crime murder.
No excuses."
Thank you for being big enought to say that, anti. I appreciate your compassion for this Mr.Lucero
I want to extend my deep sorrow over this senseless crime...and my prayers and sympathies to Marcelo Lucero's family.
Rest in peace, my brother.
Analisa
correction: I didn't mean to write the word 'this' in this sentence: "I appreciate your compassion for this Mr.Lucero." I started to write "this man" and then decided to write his name instead. sorry, my fault.
Analisa
Analisa, you're welcome, but you don't need to thank me. Just because I am anti amnesty, does not mean I condone murder and especially hate crime murder against anyone. Please don't believe that most people that are anti-AMNESTY are cruel, heartless and racist. Our motives are to solve this mess in a way that keeps the U.S. a sovereign nation where our immigration laws are enforced. That is no less than is expected in almost every other country in the world regardless of race.
And yes, my sympathies to the family of Mr. Lucero also.
my sentiments also, anonymous. you said it well as to what the majority of us anti's stand for.
i do not condone hate crimes against anyone, even those in our country illegally.
Anonymous,
You sound like you have some decency. Please give yourself a name so we can different you from the other anonymous posters as John has.
Perhaps Mark or Paul or if female, Nancy or Sue.
Anon and John,
Regardless of what you may have heard, most pros do NOT support open borders. We support secure borders just like you do.
We also support employer sanctions.
Where we are different is that we want to bring the 12M here out of the shadows. Those felony free can go into some type of legal status. Felonious criminals deported.
By your words, it appears you also support stopping Racial Profiling and Latino Hate Crimes, like we do. We also want to close the crony owned Detention Centers. If the 12M are brought out of the shadows, there would be no need for them and the country would save billions, money that could go to one of the jobs programs Obama is recommending for all Americans.
If you are in favor of secure and not open borders then why are you having a hissy fit that there is less illegal entry from Mexico now as you stated under another topic you posted?
Anon,
Read the post. What I said was now that the rate of emigration is at an all time low, and the rate of illegal immigration is also at an all time low, then stop the Racial Profiling! Stop the Suppression Sweeps! Stop the Hate Crimes! Stop the ICE Raids. That is what I said.
We can continue to have secure borders and employer sanctions if we do the above.
Anonymous said...
If you are in favor of secure and not open borders then why are you having a hissy fit that there is less illegal entry from Mexico now as you stated under another topic you posted?
You said that the rate of MEXICAN immigration is down. That means that fewer are coming here and some are leaving. Even with those leaving, we still have millions and millions who are still here.
That means that the raids of companies are till necessary to flush the rest of them out and to punish the employers. It also means that we need detention centers to hold them until they can be deported. Your lack of reasoning when there are still millions here is astounding!
Why would we STOP the Suppression Sweeps! Why would we STOP the ICE Raids! Especially since it is shown to be helping over all?? Why, then, not continue to use them?? Employer Sanctions do not work if the raids are not held, how do you think they are able to hold all of Agriprocessors management accountable, because the workers are testifying against them. Secure Borders should be a given, shouldn't even come up in discussion, use the National Guard, more BP agents, fence, technology, etc., whatever it takes.
Sick and disgusting that someone first should murder but to murder because of race or religion is just downright evil.
I agree it is very sick.
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