Luis Ramirez Was Beaten To Death
Brandon Piekarsky, Derrick Donchak, Colin Walsh and Luis Ramirez
A preliminary hearing was underway at the Schuylkill County courthouse on Monday. Outside, a group of protesters, made up of immigrant workers’ and immigrants’ rights groups, had become so loud, the hearing had to be stopped so that authorities could get the group to quiet down. The hearing dealt with the beating death of 24-year-old Luis Ramirez, an immigrant who entered the US illegally 6 years ago, and currently resided in Shenandoah, a coal mining town in northeast PA. He lived there along with his fiancee, a Shenandoah native, and worked at a local factory and a farm hand. He died from injuries he suffered during a racially charged, late-night altercation in a park on July 12th. His attackers? Three teenagers from Shenandoah. All-American boys who were current and former members of the Shenandoah Valley High School football team. The hearing was to see if prosecutors had enough evidence to charge the three teens with 1st and 2nd degree murder.. Read on for the details.
Colin Walsh, 17, and Brandon Piekarsky, 16, and Derrick Donchak, 18 were in the park drinking with other friends the night they saw Luis Rameriz walking in Vine Street Park with a 13-year-old white girl, a relative of his fiancee. The group of teens confronted the pair and began taunting the young girl. Ben Lawson, 17, testified that another teen, Brian Scully, asked the girl “Isn’t it a little late for you to be out?” as well as using a racial slur directed towards Ramirez. Ramirez responded in Spanish. A series of fights then broke out that first included Piekarsky and Ramirez, then Donchak and Ramirez. Donchak was using some type of metal object during the attack, akin to brass knuckles. Lawson testified that while Ramirez was fighting with Donchak, Walsh hit Ramirez in the face with a running sucker punch. Ramirez fell to the ground and hit his head, knocking him unconscious. Piekarsky then walked over and kicked Ramirez in the left temple. Ramirez never regained consciousness and died two days later in Geisinger Medical Center from multiple skull fractures.
Lawson then testified that after the attack, the group met at Piekarsky’s house and they all agreed to lie, coming up with a story that was quite different than what had actually transpired. A story that left out the booze, racial comments and the kick to the head. They would also lie and say Ramirez punched first.
Elizabeth Schlack, who lives near where the attack happened, testified that she heard sounds that night and observed three men kicking another man as she looked outside her window, about 80 feet from the altercation. Although she could not identify the three who were doing the kicking, she testified the kicking continued for at least two minutes while on the telephone with 911.
Eileen J. Burke also testified. She is a retired Philadelphia police officer who also lives near the park. She testified that she heard screams and then went outside and saw the defendants, along with other teens, running from the scene. She testified that she witnessed Walsh and Piekarsky pounding on a vehicle driven by Arielle Garcia, a friend Ramirez had called on his cell phone shortly before any fighting had started. Burke said Piekarsky yelled at Garcia, “Tell your *expletive* Mexican friends to get the *expletive* out of Shenandoah or you’ll be *expletive* laying next to him“
Crystal Dillman, Ramirez’s 24-year-old fiancee and mother of his children, testified that Ramirez called at around 11:30 p.m. and said he was walking to her apartment. Shortly after that call, she got a text message of “help” from his phone. When she called back, she was informed that Ramirez was injured. When she arrived on the scene she saw Ramirez convulsing on the ground, foaming at the mouth. She also testified that Ramirez was often the target of racial comments in regards to him being an immigrant.
The defense stated that this was just a simple fight in which the victim gave just as good as he got, and that the most anyone should, or could be charged with, was simple assault. Piekarsky’s lawyer, Frederick Fanelli, asked the judge if they really were going to hang his client on the word of Lawson, an admitted drunk teenager who witnessed the event “from a darkened park across a darkened roadway“. Roger Laguna, Walsh’s lawyer, stated his client was only doing what Ramirez was doing, saying that Ramirez was “repeatedly attacking him, and won’t quit.“
After hearing all the evidence, District Judge Anthony Kilker dropped the first and second-degree murder charges prosecutors where after but ruled that prosecutors had enough to try Colin Walsh and Brandon Piekarsky on counts of third-degree murder and ethnic intimidation. Derrick Donchak will stand trial on aggravated assault and ethnic intimidation charges.
“It’s been a really hard day for me, and I’m just really happy that the charges stuck,” Dillman said after the hearing.
But this is far from over as Shenandoah is a hot-bed of tension in regards to local residents and their new Hispanic population. Word of the case has spread, and some of the protesters traveled as far as Chicago to take part and provide assistance. There were also a few counter-protesters outside of the preliminary hearing. Debbie Rabold told protesters that Ramirez had no business being in the US all while waving her passport in the air. She stated “Our tax dollars should be supporting us and the services for us, not for illegal people who shouldn’t have been in this country in the first place.” Laura Kryzanowsky, a Potsville resident added “They’re out there yelling ‘No Justice, No Peace.’ That’s a declaration of war, buddy. No justice, no peace. If our system doesn’t do what you want it to do, you’re going to declare war?“
I figured the days of non-whites swinging from the branches of trees where long gone. Not that racism has disappeared, or that it ever will, but that our society would view the murder of a man as justifiable simply over the lack of a signature on a document. Thank *insert deity* the judge in this case didn’t feel that way, even if some of the people who electing him seem to. There is no doubt that Shenandoah is a snapshot of other small towns across portions of the US. But whatever side of the border you stand on, in regards to illegal immigration, murder is murder. I am curious as what our readers think. Regardless of your feelings on our current immigration issues…should a US citizen get a lighter sentence if they murder an illegal immigrant? Does anyone feel the question is as big an assault on common-sense as I did while typing it?
Huh? This doesn’t even make sense, you could conceivably take this attitude with everyone who disagrees with you on this site. I’m not sure what triggered it here.
Veronica, this is the second time you’ve specifically targeted me with what appears to be to be a degree of indignance. Why else would you ask if the hate crime aspect is what stuck me most, if you didn’t feel as though I should have been stricken by some other aspect?
I don’t respond with derision as the result of simple disagreeance.
The difference, IMO, is that my concern about attitudes toward illegal immigration stems from this attack itself and the reasons why this man is most likely dead, not from concern for the fairness shown toward his killers.
Actually, illegal immigration would have absolutely NOTHING to do with this case if some agenda-driven assholes didn’t try to hijack this case to make it about illegal immigration. He’s dead because some idiot kids were drunk and he was different. They had no idea he was illegal, and the fact that it turns out that he was is entirely inconsequential.
My issue with hate crime legislation is a general qualm that pertains very specifically to this case. It IS consequential. If you want to consider it my concern for “fairness” for the perpetrators, that’s fine. My concern is that the justice system is just.
BTW - I didn’t single you out. I responded to getting singled out, remember?
Dear Morbid: Nope, I don’t think they should not get a lighter sentence.
Brilliant thinking here. Um, yeah, he’d be alive…and some other helpless victim of these fucktard’s racism and ignorance and horrific violence would be dead instead. Great.
No doubt, no doubt.
Hey Rumpstilts: Well, jolly good for you and your platitudinous morals.
I’m not trying to be a dick here, but:
Let’s say you were–I don’t know–a young girl brought over here as a sex slave (illegally, of course!) from Bangkok. You think she should be dumped back into her optionless life “over the border” as it were once the massage parlor is busted 6 months later? If you were her, would you still be against it? Just asking.
She wouldn’t have willingly and knowingly come to the U.S. illegally, so I wouldn’t have a problem with that as long as she at least attempts to get legal status, which many illegals don’t even attempt.
Don’t really feel like getting intop a pissing match with you, but there’s nothing wrong with having unoriginal morals. And yes I had to look up platitudinous because I don’t carry a thesaurus in my head.
Thanks for answering, Rump. I was curious as to whether your thoughts were really as cut-and-dried/black-and-white as they sounded. But, in fact, some young women do know they’re coming to the US illegally, but they don’t think it’s to be a sex slave. And many of these young women have been lied to about so many things that they wouldn’t have the first chance or inclination to go try to get legal status–even if they did speak flawless English and actually possess their passports (which the “saunas” usually hold onto). No, they’d be afraid of being deported (or harmed by their captors). Does the US owe them something for what US citizens have taken from them? Does the US owe any illegal immigrant something for having exploited them (people here illegally aren’t making tons of money; they ARE being exploited by their US employers and, in a de facto sense, by citizens who have reaped benefits from their cheap labor)?
But beyond the sex slave scenario and back to this case. After some period of time here in the US, illegal immigrants ARE part of the society whether they have the piece of paper saying so or not. This man who was murdered had a fiancee, friends, soon-to-be-family. “Throwing somone back over the border” is not so simple as it sounds, even setting aside the issue of compassion for other human beings that I attempted to invoke by bringing up the sex slave scenario (a very common scenario, I might add).
Don’t worry, women don’t have pissing matches. We think it’s stupid.
FYI, there’s nothing original about your morals. Apologies, but there it is.
And finally: I don’t have a thesaurus, or maybe you mean dictionary, in my head. I just know what a platitude is. And now you do, too.
Peace.
Immigration is a big old smoke screen to blind the masses. Politicians are loving that we are discussing this even when a murder has taken place. Who the fuck cares if the Mexicans come process our chickin or pick our strawberrys. If the USA was a good neighbor we would have done alot more by now to raise the quality of life for our southern neighbors. It is all vailed racism. If their threating your job, go back to grade school and get that diploma and as a bonus you can earn more than minimum wage! I’m native american so as far as I’m concern most of you are “illegals” in my eyes.
That is true, whites are immigrants just as any nationality is in this country with the exception to the Native American. However, there are too many problems in THIS country to be aiding every country in need. Fix our house first, then help others. There are children in the US starving, families losing their homes, people living in their cars….that shouldn’t happen here, in that land of dreams! I think if someone immigrates they should go through the system and be here legally. However, legal or not, murder IS murder, regardless of the reason a life IS lost and that should never be sanctioned! Therefore these low lifes SHOULD pay a decent price for what they did. I have a pinch of cherokee, I am very proud of that pinch..lol!
I don’t think it’s ALL veiled racism. There are legitimate economic concerns, although they don’t come in the form of , “They’s stealin’ our welfarez!” like you’ll hear a lot of bumkins righteously exclaim. The truth is, by allowing these people to remain illegal, we’re taking advantage of them, turning a blind eye while they’re paid dimes on the dollar for backbreaking work.
If we no longer had immgrants who were illegal, many of our industries would collapse. It’s that cheap labor that allows us to compete with Chile or China. We can thank them for the fact that housing isn’t even more expensive than it already is. Illegals contribute more to our economy than they take (as the victim in this case did, working two jobs at low wages that allowed his employers to maximize profits). If we shipped them all out OR made them all legal, A LOT of restructuring will be required, and it will hurt. People think manufacturing is taking hits? Just wait until agriculture falls flat on its face. The average person knows not what all illegals do for us.
Athena you are dead on correct. The fact is most illegals pay taxes through payroll deductions like the majority of us. The sad part is taht they would be entitled to fairly large refunds in April if they could file their income taxes. You see, our govermant gets to keep that money instead…..hhmm you think their going to fix that? I hope they see justice through for this man. The immigration protesters should at least stay away from this case. Makes them look a little like another group… that likes to wear white sheets and burn crosses.
They resemble every god-forsaken group who uses tragedy to advertise their agenda. PETA and the Westboro Baptist Church come to mind. It’s disgraceful.
Maybe Leonard Padilla will come up and bond these kids out.
Veronica, this is the second time you’ve specifically targeted me with what appears to be to be a degree of indignance. Why else would you ask if the hate crime aspect is what stuck me most, if you didn’t feel as though I should have been stricken by some other aspect? I don’t respond with derision as the result of simple disagreeance.
How did I target you by responding to a quote you made? That’s what people do on this site! Sure, I felt as if you should have been stricken by some other aspect, that doesn’t necessarily make me some indignant, uptight moron. People get riled up on this site, like I said before. You approach things from a more logical perspective and manage to keep a cool head more often than most, and I totally respect that. Hell, that’s the way I approach most things, but sometimes I just get pissed off by an issue. Not saying that’s the way to be.
I really dont’ think I was “indignant” enough to warrant that level of derision. Geez. You are making a lot of assumptions about my intentions. What you view as indignant bitchiness is really just my frustration coming out. I’m sorry if it was misplaced but I still don’t think I deserved that. My comments were simply not notable enough to set themselves apart as somehow beyond the pale. If you would have just confronted me with “you seem really indignant here,” it would have sufficed. Give me the benefit of the doubt that I’m not a moron who only understands insults.
And yes, I know that agenda-driven dicks brought illegal immigration into this, my problem is with said agenda-driven dicks in that they represent the borderline racist attitudes I mentioned before. I don’t think we disagree on this point as much as you think.
And my rather clumsily executed mention of “fairness” was not meant to be a slam at all. You used the term “just,” which is better. Either way, I really DO think it’s a valid concern! One thing that really bothers me is the knee-jerk, vigilante, let’s just shoot the convincts in the head so our tax dollars don’t have to pay for their upkeep attitude we sometimes see.
Actually, I admire that you can keep a cool head about pretty much anything. I let my emotions get in the way at times, especially on this site. I read this story and it just dredged up all the contempt I’ve had over the years for disingenuous arguments against illegal immigration and the usually racist jackasses who so often seem to make them.
I hope I’ve made myself more clear, and that we can just call a truce and move on.
The truth is, by allowing these people to remain illegal, we’re taking advantage of them, turning a blind eye while they’re paid dimes on the dollar for backbreaking work. If we no longer had immgrants who were illegal, many of our industries would collapse. It’s that cheap labor that allows us to compete with Chile or China. We can thank them for the fact that housing isn’t even more expensive than it already is. Illegals contribute more to our economy than they take (as the victim in this case did, working two jobs at low wages that allowed his employers to maximize profits). If we shipped them all out OR made them all legal, A LOT of restructuring will be required, and it will hurt. People think manufacturing is taking hits? Just wait until agriculture falls flat on its face. The average person knows not what all illegals do for us.
I couldn’t agree more. This goes back to what I was saying before…people who are truly concerned about illegal immigration itself and not the fact that icky Mexicans are coming into God’s (apparently white) America should be a lot more interested in the actions of the employers who take advantage of the workers, rather than the workers themselves. Take those websites dedicated to pointing out every bad thing from murder to parking tickets committed by illegal immigrants…they are completely and utterly missing the point. Maybe some people don’t want to get it, maybe they just don’t like Mexicans. I just hate to see racist dicks get cover from a legitimate issue.
Veronica (great Elvis Costello song, BTW) - No worries, ma. Truces are for those at war. I just threw a little sarcasm your way, is all. If it’s any consolation, I catch more than my fair share around here of people accusing me of being less than sympathetic. So, when I felt like you were coming in here and suggesting that I wasn’t focused on the “right” thing, I was snarky - perhaps, unnecessarily so.
Still, you made your post notable in comparison to the rest by addressing me personally. Of course I’m going to take note. And I’m not one to assume - seeing as how we don’t have the benefit of vocal tone or body language, I interpret the intention of the text as accurately as it will allow. Believe me, I’m not one to paint someone as the bad guy for shits and giggles. If I interpret someone as being indignant or disrespectful, I don’t tend to pay them the respect they failed to offer me by addressing it civilly. I much prefer dismissive sarcasm. :p
All that said, your posts that I’ve seen have been thorough and aggressive. That’s quality stuff, right there. As a result, people like you and I will tend to bump heads, sort things out, and then become friends. Just ask Solange. She’s around here somewhere.
I just hate to see racist dicks get cover from a legitimate issue.
I feel your frustration. Not only have they found an outlet for their bigotry, but they make those who hold that belief for valid reasons look bad.
Take me for example. I’m all for English as the official language. Not because I hate brown people (hablo un poco Espanol…Muy poquito, pero intento), but because I think it’s important for a country to have a unifying language for financial, safety and cultural reasons. Hell, if it made more sense to make Spanish the official language, I’d be on board with that. But, because every KKK and Minute Men lackey has adhered himself to the official language agenda, it makes me look bad when I say that I support it too, even if I have better reasons than they do.
If the people who are all rabid about illegal immigration get their way, they’re going to experience a very definite “be careful what you wish for” moment.
And I’m not one to assume - seeing as how we don’t have the benefit of vocal tone or body language, I interpret the intention of the text as accurately as it will allow. Believe me, I’m not one to paint someone as the bad guy for shits and giggles. If I interpret someone as being indignant or disrespectful, I don’t tend to pay them the respect they failed to offer me by addressing it civilly. I much prefer dismissive sarcasm. :p
Yeah, that’s the big problem communicating via the web or email, it’s sometimes difficult to catch sarcasm, etc., and vocal inflection makes a big difference in telegraphing someone’s intent or attitude. I see your reaction and I think, “Wow, how can she possibly think I meant it that way?!,” but when you consider this it’s totally understandable.
Just ask Solange. She’s around here somewhere.
Yeah, I remember Solange and Pooh kind of ganged up on you in that baby stomping thread a while back! It was the same kind of attitude I took, like “God damn it, you should be more outraged!” LOL.
In any case, it’s nice to be able to have an in-depth dialogue (except for the Caylee Anthony thread of course!) on so many different issues here at DD. Sometimes tempers flare, but everyone who is here on a regular basis really cares about the issues that come up and we all have that in common. I should have joined sooner…I realized I had visited DD almost daily for almost a year, maybe I should get off my lazy ass and get involved!
Veronica (great Elvis Costello song, BTW) - No worries, ma.
Amusingly, so many people I meet mention that song but end up calling me Victoria anyway. Hell, my step-grandmother still thinks my name is Valerie after 15 years!
…should a US citizen get a lighter sentence if they murder an illegal immigrant?
Sure, once Native Americans are given the right to kill pretty much everyone who is not NA.
So…ONE guy took on THREE people ALLL on his own…Yet HE is the one who sent a logged text msg,simply,reading…”HELP”?!?!…LOL…Im sorry judge,who was that again who needed help,a gang of 3?,Riiight…
While america seems to be so bitterly divided with the whole issue of immigration i find it VERY AMUSING the “politically correct” term of “ethnic intimidation”…So…Its NOT a “hate crime” anymore?,or is it ONLY a hate crime if you are born and raised where you die?!…”ethnic intimidation”,WHAT A LOAD OF SHITE!!!… …And people want immigrants to be “good,country loving people”,Well,i would suggest NOT constantly targeting people in this way,and THAN MAYBE they will find there OWN REAL REASON to love there new home…
Interesting how,here in canada where it is WAY LESS of an “issue/problem” you might ALSO notice that it IS actually MORE OFTEN the immigrants here who fly canadian flags,where “proud to be canadian” clothing,and generally proudly canadian them selves RIGHT OUT… …Could it be MAYBE they actually feel WELCOME here!?…LOL…Hmmmm
O.M.F.G i can NOT stop laughing!!!…TOOO TRUE!…I AM white and i DO live in north america,but i seem to be of a VERRRY SMALLL “minority” of people actually WILLING to FULLY recognize were ALLL living on STOLEN LAND,and were DAMN LUCKY natives haven’t shipped us off to europe ect ect ect…
I wanted to make a t-shirt that had a map of canada,and markers on ALL the capitol cities across the country,and in small writing next to each capitols name,put in small print “Treaty Negotiations Pending???”…In reply to all those crazie people who fly off the handle about “land given back” when its always remote area’s no one really uses…For them to just imagine,for a second,if it was WHOLE provinces being taken back…Not to mention we ALL know that the lands given back are all from treaties totally IGNORED by OUR forfathers,or simply outrightly taken over with NO treaty…So basically…Stolen,Or stolen…
Rory28, no doubt! No doubt.
yes he was an immagrant but hell no its not ok.. if we let this murder slide then everyones going to think they can do it and get away with it too.. and if its ok to murder an immagrant then why isnt it ok 2 murder anyone else… its the same thing!