Six sentenced in beating death of homeless man

NY Newsday ^ | December 4, 2004 | AP

[yonif]

PATERSON, N.J. -- Six teens who were part of a mob who beat to death a homeless man three years ago were sentenced to prison for their part in the "wilding" rampage.

The six Paterson youths were sentenced Friday for being part of the crowd of 16 youths charged in the killing of Hector Robles in June 2001.

[samtheman]

Did you point out to your fellow jurors that if had been one of their relatives --- or for that matter, any relative of any middle class person --- who had been savagely beaten to death for no reason, this would have been a death penalty case? But because the man was homeless, it was basically a misdemeanor case? Did you point out to your fellow jurors what that means to society if it's ok to kill a person just because he's homeless? Did they take the time to think about that at all? Or were they just anxious to get home to their homes and families, leaving the murder victim to rot?

Just curious.

[Coleus]

No hate crime charges were levied in this case. Oh that's right the murderous rampage wasn't committed by Caucasian people.

On the last day of school in 2001, 19 African and African/Hispanic student thugs from JFK high school in Paterson, NJ, decided to go on a rampage where they came upon a diminutive Caucasian Hispanic man and stomped him to death then went swimming.