In what the offenders called "beaner-jumping," an immigrant man was killed mercilessly. The murder trial began last week for a teen who allegedly killed an Ecuadorian immigrant in what has been called a "hate-crime".
The Long Island teen was found guilty of manslaughter as a hate crime for the murder of Marcelo Lucero, 37 this week. The murder happened in November of 2008.
The Long Island teen's New York criminal defense lawyer faced off against Assistant District Attorney Megan O'Donnell last week. The DA told jurors that criminal defendant Jeffrey Conroy went on a search for Mexican blood that fateful night.
While Jeffrey Conroy confessed to taunting, beating, and stabbing the 37 year old Ecuadorian dry cleaner, Jeffrey Conroy pleaded not guilty to second degree murder as a hate crime. This is in spite of the fact that he confessed to roaming around Patchogue (an area in Long Island) in search of a dark-skinned victim to attack.
Jeffrey Conroy's New York criminal defense attorney had an uphill battle. Four of Jeffrey Conroy's alleged cohorts, all classmates of his from Patchogue-Medford High School, had already pleaded guilty to first degree gang assault. They all agreed to testify against Jeffrey Conroy.
Seven teens were arrested for the attack. The Latino population on Long Island has nearly doubled since the 1990's and the arrests of these seven teens has shed some significant light in the issue of violence against Latinos in New York.
Jeffrey Conroy now awaits sentencing.
Related Resources
- Sentencing (FindLaw's Blotter Blog)
- Stages of a Criminal Case: Sentencing (FindLaw)
- Find New York Criminal Defense Attorneys (FindLaw)
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