Pocono News Section

Football Players Charged in Connection with Shenandoah Murder

Football Players Charged in Connection with Shenandoah Murder - Friday, July 25, 2008 at 9:14PM EST

Reported by: Eric Deabill
Friday, Jul 25, 2008 @ 09:14pm EST
SHENANDOAH, SCHUYLKILL COUNTY - Both current and former members of the Shenandoah Valley football team are facing charges in connection with a brutal beating death two weeks ago. Prosecutors say the crime had racial overtones and has divided the community of Shenandoah.

One after another, 17-year-old Colin Walsh and 16-year-old Brandon Piekarski were led out of their arraignment in Port Carbon. Both current football players were silent and handcuffed, minutes after being charged with criminal homicide in the death of 25-year-old Luis Ramirez.

"This is a street fight that ended tragically. To charge these kids with an open count of homicide is unfounded," lawyer Fred Fanelli said. He is representing Brandon Piekarski.

Flowers and a candle mark the spot on Lloyd Street in Shenandoah where prosecutors say Ramirez was punched and kicked repeatedly and left unconscious July 12th. Both suspects also face ethnic intimidation charges, a hate crime, because they yelled racial slurs at Ramirez. He was an illegal Mexican immigrant.

"Anytime you have one ethnic group fighting another, there's going to be racial slurs. I've seen that since I was a kid on the playground 20 years ago," lawyer Roger Laguna said. Laguna is representing Colin Walsh.

The third suspect who was charged was 18-year-old Derrick Donchak. The former quarterback for the Shenandoah Valley football team last year, faces aggravated assault and ethnic intimidation charges for his role in the fight.

The fouth suspect, an unidentified juvenile, faces the same.

"Let the criminal justice system work itself out. Let these individuals be tried in the court of law and let the facts come out in the court of law," District Attorney James Goodman said.

The DA says no more arrests are expected in the beating death itself. He hopes this eases racial tensions in Shenandoah and puts to bed any concerns of a cover-up.

"When you do a homicide investigation, there are no artificial timelines. You have one chance to do it right, so the important thing is to get it right," Goodman said.

Laywers for Piekarski and Walsh say they will ask for both cases to be moved to juvenile court. In the meantime, they are both locked-up without bail in Schuylkill County. Derrick Donchak was released on bail late Friday afternoon.