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Christopher Overton Pleads Guilty to Assault Charges in Marcelo Lucero Killing

Posted May 25, 2010 by Ted Hesson
Categories: Suffolk

In criminal court in Riverhead this morning, Christopher Overton pleaded guilty to charges related to a fatal 2008 attack that took the life of Ecuadorian immigrant Marcelo Lucero, making Overton the sixth of seven defendants to have either pleaded guilty or been convicted in the hate attack.

In April, a Suffolk jury found fellow attacker Jeffrey Conroy guilty of first-degree manslaughter as a hate crime, in relation to the stabbing death of Lucero. Conroy was also convicted of other charges related to the attack on Lucero and attacks on other Hispanics.

Conroy is scheduled to appear before Justice Robert W. Doyle in Riverhead tomorrow for sentencing. He could face 8 to 25 years in prison.

Several defendants confessed that the string of attacks were part of a vicious sport that the youths called “beaner hopping,” in which the teens would hunt down and assault Latinos.

With Overton’s guilty plea, Anthony Hartford is the last of the suspects in the Lucero case still awaiting trial.

Here’s what Newsday’s Carl MacGowan had to say about Overton’s sentencing today:

State Supreme Court Justice Robert W. Doyle said he would sentence Overton to no more than 7 years in prison pending the findings of a presentence report from probation officers. Doyle scheduled sentencing for June 24.

Prosecutors agreed to drop charges against Overton related to other alleged hate crimes contained in a 2009 indictment.

Overton’s attorney, Anthony LaPinta, and his mother declined to comment.

At the time of Lucero’s slaying, Overton was awaiting sentencing for his role in a May 2007 robbery in East Patchogue that resulted in a man’s death.

Overton also pleaded guilty to attempted assault as a hate crime in relation to the group attacks on Lucero’s friend, Angel Loja, who was present during the attack on Lucero, and Hector Sierra, a Latino whom the group encountered earlier that night.

Overton’s name surfaced prominently at the Conroy murder trial when Conroy, while testifying in his own defense, said that he didn’t stab Lucero, and that Overton had handed him a bloody knife as they left the crime scene.

“He said, ‘Jeff, I think I just stabbed the guy in the shoulder,’” Conroy said on the witness stand. “‘I can’t get in trouble for this. Can you please take the knife?’”

The jury was not convinced by Conroy’s version of events, and convicted him after four days of deliberations.

Tags : anthony hartford, christopher overton, hate crimes, jeffrey conroy, marcelo lucero, suffolk

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