Cook's Killing No Longer a Hate Crime

The Staten Island DA's office is no longer charging two teens with a hate crime in the murder of Richard Salinas. The DA's office earlier said a trio of teens targeted the chef at an International House of Pancakes because he was Mexican, but now the DA believes the motivation was robbery alone. Daniel Betancourt and Travis King were indicted on murder charges. They and John Messiha stole $60 and a cellphone from Salinas while beating him, and Salinas died of a heart attack. Salinas, who had worked his way up from bus boy to chef at the IHOP, had been headed to a store to buy a phone card for his wife and milk for his kids.

The indictment for Messiha was sealed, with a source telling the Daily News that he was the "least culpable" of the three. Betancourt and King could face up to 25 years for second-degree murder.