POTTSVILLE, PA (CNN) -- A fomer Pennsylvania high school football player was acquitted of murder Friday in the beating death of a Mexican immigrant last summer.However, a Schuylkill County jury found Brandon Piekarsky and Derrick Donchak guilty of simple assault stemming from the death of Luis Ramirez, who died of blunt force injuries to the head after a fight with the defendants and their friends.
Donchak, 19, was also found guilty of providing alcohol to the group of teens that encountered Ramirez the night of July 12 on a residential street in the rural mining town of Shenandoah.
Both teens were acquitted of ethnic intimidation charges.
Prosecutors alleged the teens baited the undocumented Mexican immigrant into a fight with racial epithets, provoking an exchange of punches and kicks that ended with Ramirez convulsing in the street, foaming from the mouth.
He died two days later in a hospital in Danville.
Piekarsky, 17, had faced a charge of third-degree murder for allegedly delivering a fatal kick to Ramirez's head after he was knocked to the ground. He also was found not guilty of ethnic intimidation, aggravated assault and attempting to solicit a cover-up.
An all-white jury of six men and six women heard from several prosecution witnesses, including a juvenile co-defendant and another teen who pleaded guilty in federal court for his role in the fight.
While the jury heard conflicting accounts about who initiated the encounter or delivered the final kick to Ramirez's head, defense lawyers attempted to place the blame on another co-defendant, who is facing charges in juvenile court, and Colin Walsh, who has pleaded guilty to violating Ramirez's civil rights.
The juvenile admitted on the stand to shouting "go home you Mexican [expletive]" after the first fight dispersed, prompting Ramirez to turn back and attack him.
The juvenile's testimony was corroborated by Walsh, who admitted to punching Ramirez and knocking him to the ground after he charged the juvenile.
Both witnesses said Piekarsky delivered the final blow to Ramirez's head while he was on the ground, but others testified that they couldn't be certain who had actually kicked him.
The incident drew national attention to the small town of Shenandoah, highlighting issues of race relations.
4 comments:
Strange how the National press deliberately ignored the cold blooded murders of the three Bolgna family members, two sons and a husband in San Francisco? Then not too long ago of Jamiel Shaw, all slaughtered by illegal immigrant in Los Angeles. However the media have smothered the airwaves and press with the death of another illegal immigrant by white Americans. Why doesn't the press speak out over these deaths? If this is not reverse discrimination, than I don't know what could be? For decades the murders, rapes, assaults, home invasions and more heinous criminal acts, either hidden in a dark corner of the newspapers are removed altogether. This is rampant in American cities and communities, even more prevalent in Sanctuary States. No Federal funding to any Sanctuary states and enforce strictly enforce the 1986 Immigration reform and Control Act, E-Verify, Real ID Act and the local police program 287(g) Find the ugly answers of taxes, costs, environment and OVERPOPULATION at these websites. If you really want to fight back? NUMBERSUSA
what if was u that got jump by some black people and got killed what would u want the jury to do for your family? This is just wrong for them to get away for murder, no matter who his family or what he's doing in life!!1
Brittanicus: What exactly do the other cases you mentioned have to do with this article? Murder is murder. It doesn't matter who's the victim...be it an American citizen or an illegal immigrant..duh? Justice is all that matters! Nothing in your diarrhea of a rant has anything do with the actual article.
Brittanicus, you are an idiot and should go back to the 18th century where you belong. Get a grip and learn to deal with 21 century problems the way they should be dealt with...with openness and understanding that our world is becoming smaller and smaller eery day, and people ned to learn how to live with each other civilly.
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