Pa. teens charged with federal hate crime in immigrant’s beating death set for arraignment

Pa. teens to be arraigned on hate crime charge

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.