Marcelo Lucero - A Victim of Racism

On Nov. 8th 2008, Marcelo Lucero, 37, of Patchogue, L.I. was murdered by Jeffrey Conroy, 17, who plunged a knife into his chest during a gang assault. Conroy has now been charged with second-degree murder as a hate crime - the first time on Long Island someone has faced such a charge - along with the original charge of first-degree manslaughter as a hate crime. Conroy could face 25 years to life in prison if convicted. His bail has not yet been set.

But Jeffrey Conroy was not alone. In fact he was a member of a gang of 7 teenagers - all between 16 and 17, students at Patchogue-Medford High School - who were out ''beaner jumping,'' a derogatory term they used as a euphemism for attacking Hispanics.

The other 6 teenagers involved in this incident were all charged with gang assault, conspiracy, attempted assault and attempted gang assault. They face 5 to 25 years in prison if convicted.

Charged were:

Jordan Dasch, Nicholas Hausch, Kevin Shea, and Anthony Hartford, all 17 years old from Medford;

Christopher Overton, 16, and Jose Pacheco, 17, of East Patchogue;

Bail was set by Suffolk County Court Judge C. Randall Hinrichs at $250,000 cash or $500,000 bond for 5 of the 6 teens.

Christopher Overton was held without bail, citing the suspect's previous felony conviction in connection with a botched 2007 burglary that left homeowner Carlton Shaw Sr., 38, dead on the lawn of his East Patchogue home.

Nicolas Hausch and Jordan Dasch also were each charged with another count of second-degree assault as a hate crime after they attacked Marlon Garcia in front of his home with a BB gun about 5 a.m. that day, prosecutors said.

Suffolk District Attorney Thomas Spota said the seven students charged in the attack admitted they regularly beat Hispanics for fun. He said one of the accused attackers, Anthony Hartford, 17, of Medford, told police "I don't go out doing this very often, maybe once a week."

"That statement provides a true window into the mindset of these defendants," Spota said. "To them, it was a sport."

It all began on the morning of Nov. 8th when two of the accused teens, Nicolas Hausch and Jordan Dasch started out from their homes in the hamlet of Medford at the crack of dawn to look for Hispanics to terrorize. Their first victim was a Hispanic man, Marlon Garcia, who was standing in his driveway. The pair took aim at him with a BB gun and shot him several times.

That same evening the two teens met up with five more of their friends and decided to continue "beaner jumping". At about 11:30 pm the gang found and beat a Hispanic man, Hector Sierra, 55, in neighboring Patchogue, but he was able to escape.

Sierra said he noticed a light-colored sport utility vehicle driving by slowly. "I had the impression I was being watched," said Sierra, adding that he continued walking. The SUV stopped about 40 yards away at Thorne Street, Sierra said, and four males with closely cropped hair jumped out. "Out of the corner of my eye, I could see them running really fast," he said.

"They punched me twice on the side of my head, then they struck me on the back of the head and I fell in the middle of the street," Hector Sierra said of the Nov. 8 attack by four male teenagers. "They kicked me, and I thought, 'they're going to kill me.'"

Sierra said he got up and rushed to a home near Oak Street, pounding his fists on the windows, kicking the front door and yelling for help until the assailants ran away. "They never said anything," he said. "It was a hunt ... It was very dark."

Just before midnight Saturday, Marcelo Lucero, an Ecuadorean immigrant, and a pal were walking to another friend's home when the teens piled out of an SUV yelling racial epithets. As his friend ran, Lucero pulled his leather belt from his waist to defend himself. He managed to strike one of them. But he was no match for the thugs and was soon overwhelmed.

Kevin Shea later boasted, " 'I punched him, I got him good. I saw blood coming down,' " police sources said.

At one point, Lucero managed to scramble to his feet. That's when Jeffrey Conroy, a lacrosse and wrestling star who sources said has a swastika tattoo on his thigh, allegedly stabbed him in the chest.
 

"This was not some high-school prank," Assistant Suffolk DA Nancy Clifford said "This was a well-thought-out crime specifically targeting Hispanics." In their own words they decided beforehand,  'Let's go find some Mexicans to f- - - up.'

Comments

[Carole Wilson]

I am on staff with Revolution newspaper, the weekly newspaper of the Revolutionary Communist Party, USA. (Please go to our website if you wish at revcom.us). This week, we are publishing a story about Marcelo Lucero. We would like to use the photo of him in a baseball cap. The problem is that our press deadline is tonight at midnight.

We are not for profit, but we would like your permission to use this photo. If there is a fee for a one time use, please let us know.

Thank you,
Carole
email me at carolewilz@yahoo.com