Mexican Immirgant Murdered during Hate Crime

Jordan Saunders

October 15, 2010

11:20 p.m.

Two years ago on July 12, 2008 Luis Ramirez was attacked and beaten to death in Pennsylvania. The accused individuals are twenty year old Derrick Donchak and Brandon Piekarsky from Shenandoah, Pennsylvania. The victim Luis Ramirez was a member of the two young gentlemen’s neighborhood, which was the main problem, and reason for the attack.

Luis Ramirez was an illegal Mexican immigrant whom while in the United States became a father of two children and a spouse to his children’s mother Crystal Dillman. Because of his race and his appearance Ramirez was violently attacked in an unfair match between him, and Donchak and Piekarsky.

On the night of July 12, 2008 Ramirez was both verbally and physically attacked. During the attack Piekarsky and Donchak were said to have used racial statements and words toward the victim in reference to disrespect his ethnicity. They also used their feet to repeatedly kick Ramirez in the head, bringing him into a coma.

After the attack Ramirez was in a coma for two days, and then died on July 14, 2008. The defendants are stating the attack as a simple fight among the three gentlemen. They are also stating that Ramirez attacked them first, and that alcohol played a major role in their actions during the fight.  The defendants had no legal or moral right to dislike or discriminate against Ramirez just because of his racial status or ethnicity.

It seems that a lot of under age and of age alcoholic drinkers lean on alcohol as their excuse and reason for committing deviant actions. Whether you have alcohol in your system or not you should always know right from wrong, especially in a serious matter such as this one. The United States fights and promotes equality of all genders, religions, races, and ethnicities no matter what the circumstances are. The two defendants knew what they were doing and lost control of their behavior. The outcome of the situation got them what they wanted the entire time.

After the state court the trial was taking to federal court in reference to hate crimes. During this trial the two defendants were found guilty of murder of Louis Ramirez and may receive the death penalty.   

http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/10/14/pennsylvania.hate.crime/index.html?hpt=T1