Teens to Stand Trial in Fatal Beating of Hispanic Immigrant

A couple of weeks ago I posted about some of the the consequences of Christianist hate speech not just against gays but immigrants too. The constant stream of hate and intolerance that "Godly Christians" disseminate leads to violence and/or death and they could care less about such consequences. It's all about them and their bigoted "deeply held beliefs." In particular, I commented upon the beating death of Luis Ramirez, a Mexican immigrant in the town of Shenandoah, Pennsylvania by three teen aged football players. Now CNN is reporting that the three teens responsible, Brandon Piekarsy, Colin Walsh and Derrick Donchak, will be tried for murder and ethnic intimidation. Looking at the photos of the three (above left) one has to wonder how they could engage in such brutality until you remember that Christianists like James Dobson and Tony Perkins who preach a message of anti-immigrant hate are coddled and courted by the GOP, including John McCain. It's disgusting and most certainly NOT a Christian message. Here are highlights from the CNN story:

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POTTSVILLE, Pennsylvania (AP) -- A judge has ordered three teenagers to stand trial on charges related to the beating death of a Mexican immigrant in a small eastern Pennsylvania town. Prosecutors have enough evidence to try 17-year-old Colin Walsh and 16-year-old Brandon Piekarsky on counts of third-degree murder and ethnic intimidation, the judge ruled. Eighteen-year-old Derrick Donchak has been ordered to stand trial on aggravated assault, ethnic intimidation and other offenses. All three defendants were football players at Shenandoah Valley High School.

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The following day, he said, the group met at Piekarsky's house and hatched a plan to lie to police about what happened. "We made up a plan that we were going to tell the cops that nobody kicked him, that there were no racial slurs, there was no booze, and Brian got hit first," Lawson said. Under cross-examination, Lawson said he had been pressured by FBI agents to recant an initial, incomplete statement he gave to police in favor of a later statement.

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Ramirez, who entered the U.S. illegally about six years ago, worked in a factory and picked strawberries and cherries. The victim's 24-year-old fiancee, who is white and grew up in Shenandoah, has said Ramirez was often called derogatory names and told to return to his homeland. The couple had two children together.