Breaking News: Jeff Conroy GUILTY of 1st Degree Manslaughter as a Hate Crime of Marcelo Lucero! Mother Forgives!

BREAKING NEWS: Jeffrey Conroy's track record of targeting "Mexicans" and his confession to police that he and his friends would sometimes go "Beaner Stomping" made it clear to jurors that the killing of Marcelo Lucero was a Hate Crime, the jurors said. Conroy, the Long Island man accused of stabbing and killing an Ecuadorean immigrant in a racially motivated attack was convicted today of Manslaughter as a hate crime, a less serious crime than the initial Murder charge — saving him from spending the rest of his life behind bars, a much shorter sentence then he inflicted on Marcelo.

Seventeen months after the stabbing in 2008 and 24 miles from the parking lot in Patchogue where police found a 370-foot trail of Marcelo's blood leading to his stabbed body, the jury forewoman rose in State Supreme Court to read the verdict, ending four days of deliberations. Conroy was found guilty of first-degree Manslaughter as a Hate Crime and Gang Assault in connection with the death of Marcelo, and guilty of attempted assaults on three other Latino men they "Beaner Stomped." Conroy was acquitted of the most serious of the 20 charges against him, second-degree murder as a Hate Crime. On the Manslaughter charge alone, Conroy faces a minimum of eight years and a maximum of 25 years in prison when he is sentenced on May 26. As the verdict was read, the courtroom was virtually silent. When Conroy sat down, he bowed his head for a few moments, long forgetting his words to his buddies after the murder "What if I get away with it."

The Lucero family and their supporters, including a representative of the Ecuadorean government’s National Department of Migrants, expressed confidence in recent days that the prosecution had indeed proven that Mr. Conroy was guilty of murder and that justice would be served.

Though she was devastated by her son's murder and the subsequent trial, Marcelo's Christian Mother still found it in her heart to forgive her son's murderer. Speaking slowly and in Spanish, her eyes fixed, Rosario Lucero said Monday she will always carry the pain of having lost a son but she forgives those involved in his fatal stabbing.

Governor David Patterson announced the following statement: "Today, Jeffrey Conroy was found guilty of manslaughter as a hate crime for the fatal attack against Marcelo Lucero. Just hours after the news of the crime broke, it became clear that the impetus for this heinous act was nothing less than prejudice, revealing an anti-immigrant sentiment that threatens not only those who speak another language or look differently, but all New Yorkers. Today's verdict makes clear that New York has no tolerance for such intolerance; acts committed in the name of hatred will be fully prosecuted. However, our battle against bigotry continues. We must continue our work to fight discrimination - whether motivated by race, ethnicity, religion, gender, or sexual orientation. I remain committed to working with my partners in government and law enforcement officials to ensure swift and certain justice."

While the jury rightly found Conroy guilty of a serious crime, I am awaiting the sentencing. This was a particularly heinous crime, one initiated by the Caucasian Crew seeking Latinos in a Latino neighborhood to "Beaner Stomp." Conroy should have been found guilty of the murder he confessed to committing. This was a serious Hate Crime, perpetrated by HATE and RACISM. The sentence will provide all observers with an example of what sentence they will receive if they even consider committing another Hate Crime of this nature. The Sentence should deter future such events from happening again.

Deja Vu All Over Again! Dismissed Jury Alternate mouths "Good Luck" to Marcelo Lucero's Confessed Murderer! Is there No Justice for Latinos?

FOR THE LATEST UPDATES ON JURY DELIBERATIONS, PLEASE VISIT OUR FRIEND Ted Hesson, on-line Editor at Long Island Wins.
Shortly after the murder of Marcelo Lucero, Jeff Conroy, the leader of the Caucasian Crew that went "Beaner Hopping" each week in Patchogue, NY, confessed to the police he murdered Marcelo. The police found blood on his pants. The police found the murder knife in murderer Conroy's pants. His friends witnessed the murder and they testified to these facts in a court of law. Then, on the last day of trial, murderer Conroy said, April Fools. I didn't do it. I just pretended I was guilty to cover for my friend that did it. And at least one jury member, an alternate who was dismissed, believed him! UNBELIEVABLE!! Is there no justice for murdered Latinos in our Courts of Law??? We patiently await the jury's decision. And remember, after the crime Conroy said to his friends, "What if I get away with it?"
NY Times Reports:
Jurors Hint at Prosecutors’ Hurdle in L.I. Hate Crime Case
Moments after a judge excused four alternate jurors from the courtroom, one of them did something that would ease the mind of any defense lawyer whose client was on trial for murder: She mouthed the words “good luck” to the defendant. Twelve jurors began deliberating a few minutes after 10 a.m. on Wednesday in the trial of that defendant, Jeffrey Conroy, 19, who is accused of fatally stabbing a Hispanic immigrant, Marcelo Lucero, in November 2008 in Patchogue, N.Y., as part of a hate crime. The four alternate jurors, who have heard testimony from more than two dozen witnesses since March 18, were excused by Justice Robert W. Doyle because the 12 jurors had remained.

The four alternates — three women and one man, all white — illustrated the difficulties that prosecutors have had in proving that Mr. Conroy was guilty of the most serious charge, second-degree murder as a hate crime. Two said they believed that Mr. Conroy was guilty of the lesser charge of manslaughter. One believed that he was guilty of murder; another was undecided. The alternate who was undecided, Joyce Duck, 62, a retired teacher, was the one who mouthed “good luck” to Mr. Conroy and to his lawyer, William Keahon, as she was leaving the courtroom in State Supreme Court. “My heart goes out to a 19-year-old,” she said. “He doesn’t appear to me as being a dirt-bag kid.” (Is she saying if a White Boy murderer "cleans up" she won't find him guilty of the crimes he has confessed to? Well Mrs. Duck, if it walks like a Duck, Quacks like a Duck, and CONFESSES like a Duck, it IS A DUCK!! HE IS A MURDERER!)

All four alternates seemed to be making up their minds as they spoke with reporters outside the criminal courthouse here. Three of them said they did not believe Mr. Conroy’s testimony, and one, Ms. Duck, said she found some parts believable. Mr. Conroy took the witness stand last week. He testified that he had lied to the police in his five-page written confession, and that Christopher Overton, one of the six other teenagers who was with him that night, stabbed Mr. Lucero. Mr. Conroy said he lied to protect Mr. Overton and took the knife from him after the stabbing. Mr. Overton’s mother and lawyer have denied the accusation.

The alternate who said that Mr. Conroy was guilty of murder — Cathy Tidmarsh, 54, an airline reservations agent — said she did not believe, as Mr. Conroy had testified, that he did not plan on taking part in the fighting. Prosecutors said the seven teenagers had planned to go to Patchogue to look for a Hispanic person to beat up. “He was there,” Ms. Tidmarsh said. “He’s not along for the ride.” (Wow! One Sane Juror)


One of the alternate jurors leaning toward manslaughter — Kosmas Hionidis, 44, a bus dispatcher — said he did not think that the seven young men accused of taking part in the attack intended to kill Mr. Lucero. In order for the jurors to convict Mr. Conroy on the second-degree murder charge, they must find that he intended to kill Mr. Lucero. To convict Mr. Conroy on the first-degree manslaughter charge, they must find that he caused Mr. Lucero’s death while intending to cause him serious physical injury. “I don’t think this was a murder,” Mr. Hionidis said. “Nobody said, ‘We’re going to go kill him.’ ”

The other alternate who believed that Mr. Conroy was guilty of manslaughter, Judith Hallock, 70, a retired public school teacher, said it was clear that Mr. Conroy, not Mr. Overton, stabbed Mr. Lucero. Bloodstains on the blade of the knife that the police found on Mr. Conroy, as well as on two pieces of his clothing, matched the victim’s DNA. “He did it,” Ms. Hallock said. “He made the choice. He carried the knife.” She added: “Excusing him for it is not going to make his life any better. As far as I’m concerned, it’d make a lot of other people’s lives a lot worse.”

The 12 jurors who remained to deliberate asked Justice Doyle for several pieces of evidence. They asked to read Mr. Conroy’s five-page written statement to the police, and were provided copies of it. They also asked for a portion of Nicholas Hausch’s testimony to be read to them. Mr. Hausch, one of the teenagers who was with Mr. Conroy that night, testified against him. The jurors also asked the judge to repeat the legal definitions of some of the charges against Mr. Conroy, including second-degree murder as a hate crime and first-degree manslaughter as a hate crime.

Caucasion Crew Trial - Update: Marcelo Lucero's Blood on Conroy's Knife and Pants

NY Times reports: RIVERHEAD, N.Y. — Bloodstains on the blade of a knife that the police recovered from the Long Island teenager accused of fatally stabbing an Ecuadorean immigrant matched the DNA of the victim, a forensic scientist testified on Wednesday. Other bloodstains on the jeans and tank top the teenager was wearing also matched the victim’s DNA.

The testimony came during the trial of the teenager, Jeffrey Conroy, who is accused of killing the immigrant, Marcelo Lucero, in an attack in November 2008 in Patchogue. Prosecutors said it was part of a series of racially motivated assaults by Mr. Conroy and six other teenagers.
Mr. Conroy, 19, faces several charges in connection with Mr. Lucero’s stabbing and attempted attacks on three other Hispanic men, including second-degree murder as a hate crime and gang assault. He has pleaded not guilty.
A Suffolk County police officer who patted down Mr. Conroy that night testified previously that Mr. Conroy told him he was carrying a knife. And when the officer told him the knife had blood on it, Mr. Conroy said, according to the officer, “I stabbed him.”

The jury in the case in State Supreme Court here also heard for the first time from Dr. Stuart Dawson, who performed the autopsy on Mr. Lucero for the Suffolk County medical examiner’s office. Dr. Dawson told the jury that the cause of death was a stab wound to the chest.
The autopsy report and Dr. Dawson’s testimony showed that Mr. Lucero was not beaten or stabbed repeatedly. The only significant injuries were cuts on his upper and lower lips that probably came from a single punch, and a stab wound just below the collarbone that did not penetrate the chest cavity and ran parallel to the skin, said Dr. Dawson, a former deputy chief medical examiner who has since retired. No major organs were struck, but Mr. Lucero’s right axillary artery and an adjacent large vein were cut, according to the report and Dr. Dawson’s testimony.

Jeff Conroy for the Murder of Marcelo Lucero: "I stabbed him...Imagine if I get Away with this!"

Testimony from the 3/19/10 Murder trial of Jeff Conroy for murdering Marcelo Lucero:
After murdering Marcelo Lucero, White Supremist Jeff Conroy admitted to a police officer at the scene and later to a homicide detective that he stabbed Marcelo. Later that night he enthusiastically boasted to friends, "Imagine if I get away with this!"

On the night of the murder, the Caucasian Crew gathered at a park in Medford earlier in the evening. Jason Moran, one of the crew members testified about that night's events. Moran said two of the seven crew members talked about going to Patchogue to beat up a Mexican. The Prosecutor asked him to repeat what Conroy said. Moran responded, "Let's go to Patchogue and beat up a Mexican."
The prosecutor, Megan O’Donnell, said Conroy’s feelings about white supremacy were evident in the tattoos on his body and in the statements he made to others. Mr. Conroy has a tattoo of a small swastika on his upper thigh.
More Testimony from PreTrial Hearing:
Suffolk Police Officers Mahony and Richardson testified. Both were on duty the night of November 8, 2008. Shortly before midnight, Mahony was alone on patrol in his squad car in Patchogue. Richardson was a few miles away at the Bellport train station. They both heard the police dispatcher announce over their radios that there had been a possible stabbing near the Patchogue train station. Mahony was nearby and reached the scene in a minute or two, making it there before the new day began. As he pulled up he saw two men standing near the dying Marcelo Lucero. Another officer, Frank Munch, also out alone, pulled into the station area a few seconds later. Mahony went to the still-living Lucero. ‘He had a large pool of blood around his head and a stab wound in the chest”, Mahony testified. Angel Loja, who had been with Marcelo Lucero when the attack began, blurted out that seven teenagers had fought his friend. He told Mahony that six were white and one was black, He said some were wearing black “hoodies”. Munch called the description in, and a few minutes later Mahony heard that other officers had stopped people matching that description. Mahony asked Loja if he thought he could recognize the attackers, and Loja said he thought he could. They got into Mahony’s car and headed towards the corner of South Ocean and Main St. where the men were being held.

Meanwhile, Richardson had also heard the radio report of a possible capture and headed towards the same location. He arrived shortly after midnight to see seven young men lined up with their hands against the wall. Richardson went up to the six foot one inch Conroy. He says Conroy was “fidgety, he was looking around like he was nervous.” Officer Richardson patted Conroy down “for my own protection”. The car with Officer Mahony and Loja pulled up to the corner where the young men were being detained. They all looked at the car as it came to a stop. Loja and Mahony could only see six of the men. Loja said to Mahony “Yeah, those are the guys who were fighting with my friend, but there was a black guy too.” When a police officer stepped to the side, they realized he had been blocking their view of a man who would later be identified as Jose Pacheco, who has pleaded guilty to participating in the attack. The sergeant at the scene ordered his men to take the seven into custody and bring them to the Fifth Precinct. Richardson began a second pat down preparatory to taking Conroy into his car. He asked Conroy if he had anything on him that he should know about and began patting him. Conroy inclined his head indicating that he wanted to talk to Richardson away from the others. Richardson took him a few feet away and Conroy said “I have a blade on me.”

Richardson started patting him again and Conroy told him; “Lift my shirt.” He had a folding knife about four inches long hidden in his waistband. Richardson opened the knife and saw blood on it. Richardson looked at Conroy and said “There’s blood on it.” “I stabbed him”, Conroy replied. According to Newsday, which has obtained handwritten statements taken by the police from those arrested in this case, Conroy’s statement elaborates on his involvement. Here are some quotes from Conroy’s statement published in Newsday:
“His back was to me and as I ran towards him he turned to face me. He was about four or five feet from me, I continued to run towards him and stabbed him once in either his shoulder or chest.”
“I told the cop that my knife was tucked in my boxers and I was the one who stabbed the guy.” “I don’t blame the Spanish guy for swinging the belt at us. It was obvious that he wanted to get the [expletive] out of there. He was ready to defend himself . . . “
“I tried to wash the blood off in a puddle, but there was still blood on it,” One of the other young men accused in the attack, Kevin Shea, wrote; “Jeff said . . . ‘I stabbed that guy.’ At first I didn’t believe him, but when he showed me his knife with blood on it I knew it was no joke.”

Prosecutor Gives Opening Statements in Caucasian Crew's Jeff Conroy Trial for Murdering Marcelo Lucero

Opening Statement by Prosecutor Megan O'Donnell:
“On Nov. 8, 2008, the hunt was on,” Megan O’Donnell, the prosecutor, told 12 jurors and 4 alternates in State Supreme Court on Thursday. The defendant, Jeffrey Conroy, 19, was one of seven Patchogue-Medford High School students who the police and prosecutors said attacked an Ecuadorean immigrant, Marcelo Lucero, in November 2008. The fatal stabbing of Mr. Lucero shocked many on Long Island and focused new attention on assaults and harassment of Latinos in the area.

In her opening statement, Ms. O’Donnell described how the teenagers, including Mr. Conroy, roamed the village of Patchogue that Saturday evening for one purpose: to find a Hispanic person to assault. “They were not in Patchogue looking to go to a party,” said Ms. O’Donnell, an assistant district attorney in Suffolk County. They were, instead, “looking for blood — specifically, Mexican blood.” They called the sport Mexican-hopping or beaner-hopping, she said. Ms. O’Donnell told the jurors that Mr. Conroy expressed his feelings of white supremacy, both in the tattoos on his body and in the statements that he made to others, and that he made Hispanics targets because of their ethnicity and because he “felt these people were easy targets” who were unlikely to call the police. That night, the group hopped into a sport utility vehicle belonging to one of the teenagers, after drinking beer with a larger group at the Medford train station, she said. Earlier that day, two of the teenagers shot a BB gun at another Latino man, Marlon Garcia.

Later that evening, the boys, unable to find potential victims in Medford, drove to Patchogue and went after Hector Sierra, who managed to escape. Prosecutors have charged some or all of the teenagers with attacking or trying to attack a total of six Hispanic men, including Mr. Lucero, Mr. Garcia and Mr. Sierra. When they spotted Mr. Lucero walking with a friend near the train station in Patchogue, they surrounded him, she said. Some of the teens chased the friend, Angel Loja, while Mr. Lucero took off his denim jacket and started swinging his belt.

The belt struck Mr. Conroy in the head. Mr. Conroy, she said, took out his knife and thrust it into Mr. Lucero’s upper right chest. The teenagers fled, and Mr. Conroy rinsed the blood off the knife in a puddle of rainwater, shortly before police officers stopped the group and discovered the knife on Mr. Conroy, she said. She added that Mr. Conroy admitted to the police at the time that he had stabbed Mr. Lucero. “There is one cause for the death of Marcelo Lucero, one cause, and that is the defendant,” she told the jury. Mr. Conroy is facing second-degree murder as a hate crime, gang assault and other charges. He is the first person to stand trial for murder as a hate crime on Long Island since the state’s hate-crime law was enacted in 2000.

Mr. Conroy has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Caucasion Crew Trial - Day 1: Family Friends of Conroy Incredulous over Brutality of the Murder saying "Jeff is Not a Racist!"

Today was the first day of Jeff Conroy's trial. Conroy is charged with second-degree murder and first-degree manslaughter, both as Hate Crimes, in the murder of Ecuadorean immigrant Marcelo Lucero. In a statement to police on the night of the crime, Conroy confessed to stabbing Lucero, saying he found the black folding knife used in the attack in a hotel room. Hours after the killing, Conroy asked how the case might affect the upcoming wrestling season, police said in pretrial testimony.

Family and friends of Conroy found it difficult to believe that Conroy committed the murder. To his friends, he was J.C. or J. Con, a three-sport athlete well known in the hallways of Patchogue- Medford High School. He liked rap music and watching sports, played lacrosse, football and wrestling, and helped his father coach a youth recreational league and raise money for a local booster club. For William Garcia, an Ecuadorean who graduated from Patchogue-Medford High last year, the struggle has been especially hard. "He (Jeff) was one of my closest friends; he was always there when I had a problem or something," said Garcia. Garcia said it was well-known at the high school that some students went to Patchogue to randomly beat up Latinos each week. But Garcia said as far as he knew, Conroy was not involved in that. "I don't really know what happened that night but I was really surprised about it," Garcia said. "Everything changes in a second."

Conroy's father refuses to believe his son was involved in the brutal murder of Marcelo Lucero. "Jeff is a good kid," said Robert Conroy , Jeffrey Conroy 's father. "He's a respectful athlete who helped when the budget failed. He was always there raising money, helping me." Of charges that Conroy targeted Latinos, his father balks, saying he never heard the term "beaner hopping" until District Attorney Thomas J. Spota said it in describing the term he said the teens used to describe their attacks on random Latinos. Conroy said his son - the third of six children - has friends, ex-girlfriends and even family members who are Latino."They know that what's been said out there absolutely is not true, that he's a racist. That's not Jeff. Anybody who ever got to know Jeff, they don't believe this happened." For Robert Conroy, the trial will be an opportunity for his son to clear his name. He never misses a jail visit to see his son, never misses a phone call. "I miss my son terribly," he said. "I'm anxious. I'm anxious to prove his innocence."

Suffolk County prosecutors will paint a vastly different picture of Conroy. They say on Nov. 8, 2008, when Conroy was a 17-year old high school senior, he fatally stabbed Ecuadorean immigrant, Marcelo Lucero, on a Patchogue street. The stabbing was the culmination of a night of attacks on random Latino victims, according to prosecutors, capping a year of similar attacks by Conroy and his friends.

Caucasian Crew Leader, Jeff Conroy, Confessed Murderer of Marcelo Lucero, Trial to begin Wednesday (3/17)

On the night of November 8, 2008, as Marcelo Lucero lay dead on the ground in the Patchogue, Long Island streets, Jeff Conroy admitted to police he plunged a knife into Marcelo's midsection. Member's of Conroy's Caucasian Crew admitted they were out, letting off steam, Beaner Stomping. They admitted they only Beaner Stomped once a week.

Opening arguments are expected to begin Wednesday (tomorrow) in Conroy's trial. Conroy is charged with second-degree murder and first-degree manslaughter, both as Hate Crimes, in the murder of Ecuadorean immigrant Lucero. A panel of seven men and five women was seated last Friday. Both Keahon and Assistant District Attorney Megan O'Donnell said they believe four alternate jurors will be picked Tuesday (today).

In court this week, the attorney for Conroy, William Keahon of Hauppauge, made an unsuccessful last-minute bid to have a mistrial declared in the murder trial in Riverhead. Earlier Monday, Keahon demanded that a black cloth hanging from the defense table he shares with Conroy be removed for the trial. The cloth shields jurors' view of a defendant's legs when he or she is wearing leg shackles. Noting Conroy is not shackled, Keahon twice referred to the cloth as a "shroud" that might influence jurors. "I think it looks . . . like we are participating in a ceremonial burial," Keahon said.Doyle agreed to have the cloth removed, but said it could not be done immediately because the cloth is fastened by screws."I can bring in the Phillips head screwdriver and remove it myself," Keahon said. Doyle said the cloth would be removed Monday night. It appears Keahon is relying on the old lawyer's tactic, when all else fails, change the subject.

Jury Permitted to Hear Caucasian Crew Leader's Words "I STABBED HIM!"

AP Reports:
GARDEN CITY, N.Y. — A jury will be permitted to hear testimony that a New York teenager, Jeffrey Conroy, admitted to police moments after the fatal knifing of Ecuadorean immigrant Marcelo Lucero that he was responsible, prosecutors said Tuesday. Jeffrey Conroy, 19, is the only one of seven teenagers charged with murder in the November 2008 stabbing of Marcelo Lucero near the Patchogue train station on Long Island. Two other teenagers have pleaded guilty to assault as a hate crime and other charges and have agreed to testify against their co-defendants. Conroy and four others are awaiting trial; all have pleaded not guilty. Conroy's trial is expected to start sometime in March.

The killing shone a national spotlight on the area's race relations; prosecutors contend Lucero's death was the culmination of an ongoing campaign that targeted Hispanic immigrants for violence. Since the killing, the U.S. Justice Department has said it is investigating hate crimes in Suffolk County and police response to them.

The Southern Poverty Law Center issued a report in September titled "Climate of Fear; Latino Immigrants in Suffolk County," cataloguing a litany of anti-immigrant attacks dating back a decade. State Supreme Court Justice Robert Doyle, in a Feb. 11 ruling released by prosecutors on Tuesday, said Conroy's comment to police only minutes after the attack that "I stabbed him" will be permitted at Conroy's trial. Doyle ruled that Conroy blurted out the admission while being searched for a knife and that "traditional Miranda warnings were not required."

Conroy and his six friends (the Caucasian Crew) were arrested within minutes of the midnight stabbing, only blocks away from where Lucero was killed. Defense attorney William Keahon did not immediately return a telephone call seeking comment. Doyle also ruled that defendant Kevin Shea's comments to detectives following the stabbing were admissible at trial. Shea's attorney did not immediately return a call for comment.
The two defendants who have already pleaded guilty admitted participating in other attacks on Hispanics, confessing they and their accomplices frequently used racial epithets when confronting victims. In one instance, a Hispanic man was shot with a BB gun.

Lucero, 37, came to the United States when he was 21. He was walking with a friend when they were confronted by a group of teens. His friend fled, but Lucero was surrounded, prosecutors say. He tried to fight back, flailing at the assailants with his belt before being fatally stabbed.

Police Statement Says Jeff Conroy Confessed in "Beaner Stomper" Murder of Marcelo Lucero!

Newsday Reports:

A knife in his right hand extended outward, Jeffrey Conroy went toward the "Spanish guy" who was swinging his belt, according to a written statement he made to Suffolk police hours after the fatal stabbing of Marcelo Lucero ."His back was to me and as I ran towards him he turned to face me," according to the statement, made Nov. 9, 2008. "He was about four or five feet from me, I continued to run towards him and stabbed him once in either his shoulder or chest."Minutes later as police approached, Conroy confessed, according to his statement. "I told the cop that my knife was tucked in my boxers and I was the one who stabbed the guy," he said in the statement obtained by Newsday. "I don't blame the Spanish guy for swinging the belt at us. It was obvious that he wanted to get the [expletive] out of there. He was ready to defend himself . . . "The "guy" was Lucero, 37, an legal Ecuadorean immigrant whose death authorities have labeled a hate crime. Seven former Patchogue - Medford High School students were charged with gang assault and conspiracy in connection with Lucero's death. Conroy, now 18, of Medford , was also charged with murder and manslaughter as a hate crime. Nicholas Hausch and Jose Pacheco have pleaded guilty; the other five, including Conroy, are awaiting trial. Pretrial hearings begin Wednesday on whether Conroy's statement was taken appropriately and can be used in a trial.

Conroy's attorney, William Keahon of Islandia , did not return calls for comment Tuesday. He previously has said police were "creative" in taking the statement. When asked two months ago about excerpts from Conroy's statement quoted in court papers, in which Conroy referred to regularly going out and looking for Latino people to beat up, Keahon said, "He never said those words, he never said anything like it."Handwritten statements by each of the seven teens - written by Suffolk detectives based on interviews and signed by the defendants - were obtained by Newsday.The statements tell a similar story of the night of Nov. 8, 2008: a group of teenagers hanging out at a local park, eventually leaving, determined to find Latinos to beat up.In each statement, the seven defendants said they were near the Patchogue train station, where several of them approach Lucero and a companion and provoke a fight. Both Lucero and his companion defended themselves by swinging their belts, according to the statements. One of them "yelled at us that he had been in this country 20 years," Jordan Dasch's statement read. None of the other six defendants witnessed Conroy stab Lucero, according to their statements, and none realized Lucero was stabbed until Conroy told them as they walked away."Jeff said . . . 'I stabbed that guy.' At first I didn't believe him, but when he showed me his knife with blood on it I knew it was no joke," read Kevin Shea's statement. Shea's attorney argued in court last week the statement was coerced.One defendant suggested Conroy toss the knife, according to multiple statements.

"I tried to wash the blood off in a puddle, but there was still blood on it," Conroy's statement read.

Justice for Marcelo Lucero: Another Defendant Plea Bargains!

Jose Pacheco, one of six remaining defendants awaiting trial in the fatal stabbing of Marcelo Lucero, a legal Ecuadorean immigrant in New York has pleaded guilty to gang assault as a hate crime. Jose Pacheco agreed Wednesday to testify against other defendants accused in the death of dry-cleaning worker Marcelo Lucero. Lucero was stabbed in the chest Nov. 8, 2008, in Patchogue, N.Y. Authorities say seven teens went "Beaner Jumping" looking for a Latino victim. Last month, another defendant pleaded guilty to conspiracy and hate crime charges and agreed to testify. The year since the Lucero slaying has put national spotlight on the area's race relations. The U.S. Justice Department launched a probe of hate crimes and police response to them.

With two of the seven defendants pleading guilty to charges in connection with the hate killing of Ecuadorean immigrant Marcelo Lucero, legal experts say more pleas can be expected as the case moves toward trial.
"It usually ends up being a little bit like bowling pins," said Bruce Barket, a Garden City defense attorney not affiliated with the case. "Once one falls, it tends to cause others to obtain a plea." With Pacheco testifying against the group, it may be possible for the remaining defendants to be punished to the fullest extent of the law. Hopefully this will deter future potential Hate Crime attackers from hurting anyone else.
Reference:
NY teen guilty of hate crime in Ecuadorean's death
STOP HATE CRIMES! Sunday Marks One Year Anniversary of Marcelo Lucero's Murder!

STOP HATE CRIMES! Sunday Marks One Year Anniversary of Marcelo Lucero's Murder!

The FBI has reported Hate Crimes against Latinos have increased by over 40 percent. It is critical we hold the perpetrators of these crimes accountable. My blog's mission in 2009 is to bring attention to these hate crimes so we can stop them from occurring. There are several Hate Crimes that occurred over the last year that I am focusing on until the perpetrators are held accountable.
These Hate crimes are:
1. Kick in the Head Murder of Luis Ramirez - Shenandoah, PA
2. Beaner Jumping of Marcelo Lucero - Patchogue, NY
3. Student Murderers of Chilean Students by Dannie Baker - NW Florida
4. Murder of 9 year old Brisenia Flores and her Dad by MM Leader Shawna Forde -Arivaca, AZ

Sunday, November 8, marks the one year anniversary of the brutal murder of Marcelo Lucero, a 37-year-old Ecuadorean immigrant, who was stabbed to death after he and a friend were attacked by seven Patchogue-Medford High School students. Police said the suspects admitted they regularly sought out and attacked Hispanic immigrants. They targetted Hispanics during weekly attacks they termed "Beaner Jumping." During these attacks, the frequently took souveners to show off at school. Yesterday, the first defendant was in court and pled guilty for his role in Marcelo Lucero's death.
Newsday reports:
In a barely audible voice, a Medford teenager stood before a Suffolk judge and recounted the events that culminated in the death of Marcelo Lucero last year as he pleaded guilty Thursday in connection with the case. Nicholas Hausch, 18, his slight frame appearing hunched in a dark suit and blue tie, told Judge Robert W. Doyle and prosecutors how he and six other teens had set out the night of Nov. 8 determined to attack Latinos, or "beaner hopping," as the defendant called it.

In the Lucero case, Hausch pleaded guilty to first-degree gang assault and fourth-degree conspiracy. He also pleaded guilty Thursday to second-degree assault as a hate crime and second-degree attempted assault as a hate crime in connection with two other attacks earlier that day. Responding to questions from Assistant District Attorney Megan O'Donnell, Hausch detailed the confrontation with Lucero.

Hausch said the group spotted two Latino men and called them ethnic slurs. "Surround him," Kevin Shea, one defendant, yelled after punching Lucero, Hausch said. Hausch said he was in the outer circle and began to walk away when another defendant, Jeffrey Conroy, passed him. "He told me we had to get out of here," Hausch said. "Jeff told us he stabbed the guy," Hausch said. At that point he said the other defendants called Conroy "an idiot," and told him to "throw away the knife." "He said no, 'I washed it off in a puddle,' " Hausch said.
Recounting an event earlier that night, Hausch detailed chasing a Latino man and taking his hat to show off to his friends later. Asked O'Donnell, "Now did you and Jordan Dasch or Anthony Harford take any property from that male Hispanic?" Hausch answered, "Yes. I took his hat." O'Donnell: "Why?" Hausch: "I guess because, just to show my friends . . . " O'Donnell: "Is it fair to say you took that hat as a trophy?" Hausch: "Yes."

Prosecutors did not recommend a sentence, and Hausch - who has been out on bail for most of the year - won't be sentenced until prosecution of the other six defendants is complete. Hausch faces 5 to 25 years in prison on the top charge. As part of his plea, Hausch agreed to continue to cooperate with authorities, including possibly testifying at the trials of his co-defendants.
Other Blogs Remembering Marcelo Lucero this weekend:
Marcelo Lucero Memorial - Long Island Wins
Long Island Wins - Patrick Young
Vivir Latino - Mamita Mala
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Imagine2050.org Remembering Marcelo Lucero

Guest Voz - Maegan 'La Mamita Mala': Hate Crime Act Passes in the House

Guest Voz - Maegan 'La Mamita Mala': Hate Crime Act Passes in the House
On Thursday the House of Representatives passed the Defense Authorization Act of 2010 (H.R. 2467), including the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act which extends the definition of violent hate crimes to include gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and disability.

From Rep. Barney Frank:

The Hate Crimes provision in the legislation passed today will allow the federal government to assist local and state law enforcement authorities, which prosecute the overwhelming majority of Hate Crimes cases. It permits the federal government to share resources and enforcement tools. It also authorizes the U.S. Attorney General to make grants to state and local law enforcement authorities which have incurred especially high expenses in connection with the investigation and prosecution of these crimes.

In some ways this is good news. However I am always wary of looking at enforcement legislation as a solution. Will this mean, for example that hate crimes will be more vigorously investigated and prosecuted on the state and local level? Does this mean that there will be one actual standard for what constitutes a hate crime? Looking at Suffolk County, NY, where Marcelo Lucero was killed, it was just this week that the Federal Department of Justice announced that they would officially investigate the Suffolk County police department for “discriminatory policing” against Latinos, meaning ignoring a pattern and practice of hate crimes while creating their own pattern and practice of giving a green light to these acts. Will the new hate crimes law, which is expected to pass in the Senate and be signed by President Obama, be enough to force local law enforcement to act or will they be too busy looking at other enforcement programs like 287(g) which target immigrant communities and lead to racial profiling no even care? Wouldn’t it be more effective for the Federal and local government to create some consistency. After all, can you protect with one hand what you are trying to destroy with the other?