Teens sentenced to 6+ months for fatal beating in Schuylkill County

Two Pennsylvania teens acquitted of the most serious charges in the beating death of an illegal Mexican immigrant will each spend at least six months in prison for lesser charges.

A Schuylkill County judge sentenced 17-year-old Brandon Piekarsky and 19-year-old Derrick Donchak on Wednesday on charges related to the fatal beating of Luis Ramirez on July 12, 2008 in Shenandoah. Piekarsky was acquitted of third-degree murder and Donchak acquitted of aggravated assault by an all-white jury last month. Both teens were acquitted of ethnic intimidation.

Piekarsky was sentenced to six to 23 months in prison for simple assault. Donchak was also convicted of corruption of minors and received a sentence of seven to 23 months.

The jury's decision to acquit the teens on murder and hate crime charges angered Hispanic leaders and civil-rights groups, who have pressed the Justice Department to pursue civil-rights charges against the teens.