Create a free Diverse: Issues In Higher Education account to continue reading

Teenage suspect in NY hate crime loses plea deal

RIVERHEAD, N.Y. – One of seven teenagers accused in a fatal attack on a Hispanic immigrant has been told a plea deal he made in a previous burglary conviction is now off the table.

Christopher Overton pleaded guilty to burglary in a May 2007 incident, in which a 38-year-old East Patchogue (PACH’-awg) man was killed during a home robbery. He was expected to receive probation for cooperating with investigators, but a judge on Wednesday said the 16-year-old’s arrest in the stabbing case voids the earlier plea deal.

Overton and six others have pleaded not guilty to various charges in the death of Ecuadorean immigrant Marcelo Lucero. Police say Lucero was targeted as part of an ongoing marauding spree by the teenagers against Hispanics. Overton’s attorneys say he is innocent of the latest charges.



© Copyright 2005 by DiverseEducation.com

A New Track: Fostering Diversity and Equity in Athletics
American sport has always served as a platform for resistance and has been measured and critiqued by how it responds in critical moments of racial and social crises.
Read More
A New Track: Fostering Diversity and Equity in Athletics