6-7 Year Sentences For LI Hate Crime Attackers

Yesterday, a Long Island judge sentence four teenagers to prison sentences for their role in the hate crime attack on Marcelo Lucero, an Ecuadorean immigrant who died from the 2008 stabbing. The teens said they had gone "beaner hopping," and the incident highlighted racial tensions in Patchogue and Suffolk County. The AP reports, "Anthony Hartford, Jordan Dasch and Jose Pacheco, all 19, had each pleaded guilty to gang assault, conspiracy and attempted assault as a hate crime" and received seven year sentences while Christopher Overton, who also pleaded guilty to those charges, received six years. Pacheco said to Lucero's family, "I shouldn't ask for mercy. God knows what I did was wrong." In May, Jeffrey Conroy was sentenced to 25 years for manslaughter as a hate crime for killing Lucero.

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By Jen Chung in News on August 26, 2010 2:40 PM

Comments [rss]

John L

This is a disgrace.

I thought hate crimes carried higher penalties?

They should've all been charged with murder!

Attempted assault? What the fuck attempt? The guy died!

wobbleSmith

worst. sentencing. ever.

kreplach

So, their pal Jeff takes the full heat of 25 years and they only get 6?

C'mon. As I understood the case, these assholes surrounded Lucero, beat him up, and made it possible for Conroy to deliver the fatal stab wound.

I'm not a lawyer but based on their sentences (7 years versus 25 for Conroy), are we to assume that they are only, like, 30% as guilty as Conroy?

Bullshit, they deserve more.

Amanda Harletsch

I hope these guys find death in jail.

Boogie Down

Please tell me I didn't just read this. The victim died from his injuries for chrissakes!

kane

Overton was out on bail following a felony burglary conviction when this incident happened and he gets the lightest sentence out of the four? How does that make sense?