LI Hate Crime Killer Sentenced To 25 Years

Jeffrey Conroy, the Long Island teen who was convicted of manslaughter as a hate crime for fatally stabbing an Ecuadorean immigrant in 2008, was sentenced to 25 years in prison yesterday. His father raged at the at the sentence, running out of the courtroom and yelling, "He was f---ing 17. This is mercy for crying out loud? Jesus, f---ing, Christ! Jesus Christ!"

Conroy, who is now 19 and admitted to police that he and friends had gone "beaner-hopping," specifically targeting Hispanic victims, had apologized to victim Marcelo Lucero's family before the judge made the announcement, "I'm really sorry for what happened to Mr. Lucero. I feel really bad for what the Lucero family is going through right now. Every day I wish it didn't happen." Lucero's brother Joselo said in a victim's impact statement, "I don't want this hate to continue. I want my brother to know that I'm fighting for the right reason, for human rights."

Conroy has tried to insist, in spite of his swastika tattoo and other actions, that he's not racist, noting how he listens to hip-hop and has a Bolivian girlfriend. His father Robert later spoke to Newsday, calling the maximum sentence "very unfair...I never expected the maximum," and claimed his son was "a good kid" and was seized as a "poster boy" for an "international story... The DAs and judges and everybody, all these politicians were boxed into it." And an alternate juror sympathized with his pain, "It was probably something he'd held inside for a long time. It was emotional for me. Again, both sides lost."

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By Jen Chung in News on May 27, 2010 3:22 PM

Comments [rss]

LB

"He was f---ing 17. This is mercy for crying out loud? Jesus, f---ing, Christ! Jesus Christ!" So fuckin what ! He committed a crime that warrants jailtime !

Guest

To jackasses that don't realize they're totally separate countries on separate continents, I can believe that.

Clarice City

Am I the only one who thinks he should just be shut away for life? Obviously he can't contain his rage around other human beings. He should never be released back into society with the rest of us.

Guest

Well, if NY hadn't abolished the death penalty, they could have made sure of that. Oh well.

lexicondevil

the punishment seems appropriate... what doesn't seem appropriate is all the desire that he get raped daily - seriously, what is wrong with you people?

twentyfive25

I agree. Most people never left the Dark Age.

Mr Mel

You really don't understand who you're dealing with here.

Bike Rider

"HE WAS ONLY 17" ???

I suppose you could also say the Ecuadorean guy was only *ALIVE*

The Edge

Daddy needs to fill one of these out: http://www.scribd.com/doc/7771818/Butt-Hurt-Report-Form

Mr Mel

Justice is done. I'm against the death penalty, so 25 years is appropriate, even if he gets out in 18, he will miss some of the best years in his life. Most violent criminals are will be back in prison within a few years after they are released, if they live that long.

dracula mountain

his shit is going to be pushed in for 25 years!! hahaha. this made my day.

hotstepper

what i wonder is why Conroy was the only one charged, weren't there like seven of them in his beaner-hopping posse?

Jen Chung

Five others have taken plea deals.

jaycjay

Six others were charged with conspiracy and attempted assault; I don't know what the status of those cases is.

He's the one who did the stabbing, and reportedly it happened out of sight of the rest of the group so he's the only one who was charged with the killing.

theLtrain

w00t.

if only Jose Sucuzhanays killers had gotten similar treatment, oh I forgot blacks can't commit hate crimes!

SP

You really do relish being a compete fucking idiot, and a racist asshole, don't you?

http://gothamist.com/2010/04/10/three_youths_arrested_for_les_hate.php

theLtrain

Hey keep your eyes peeled on this story by little uninformed sheep. Those kids will barely do any time.

dreamking

With any luck, his prison nickname will be Sugar. And a swastika tattoo? Seriously? Paisano Ecuadoreano didn't deserve to be beaten to death by a punk kid with anger issues just because it was a slow Tuesday. The Bolivian girlfriend bit makes me laugh. As if racism played out like a monochrome cartoon.

If a 17 year old can frequently put himself in a position where assault and murder might easily happen, you really have to wonder about the parents. The kid still has to own it, but the dad should be given the opportunity to share years on violent crimes committed by under-18s.

Extra 2 years sentencing for hate group tattoos, too; non-transferable.