Teens to be Arraigned in Hate Crime Case

Two Pennsylvania teenagers are scheduled to appear in federal court for the first time since being charged with a hate crime in the death of an illegal Mexican immigrant. Eighteen-year-old Brandon Piekarsky and 19-year-old Derrick Donchak will be arraigned Tuesday in Wilkes-Barre on charges stemming from the July 2008 beating death of 25-year-old Luis Ramirez.

A jury had previously acquitted Piekarsky and Donchak of the most serious state charges in the case, angering Hispanic leaders and civil-rights groups. The decision prompted Gov. Ed Rendell to ask the Justice Department to pursue civil-rights charges against the teens. Three Shenandoah police officers were charged separately last week with obstructing the investigation into Ramirez’s death.

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