POTTSVILLE, Pa. - 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.
Sunday
June 15th, 2025
7:08AM
