Justice, finally, for Luis Eduardo Ramirez Zavala

I have blogged about Luis Eduardo Ramirez on this blog and on my other blog.

Last year when the perpetrators of the violent beating that took Luis Ramirez's life were found guilty of mere simple assault, I was heartbroken and dumbfounded at the miscarriage of justice that had taken place from the moment the police were called to the scene of the crime.

Today, I am happy to report that two of the assailants, Brandon Piekarsky and Derrick Donchak, were found guilty of committing a federal hate crime. Interestingly, the local bias is still quite evidence in the local paper's coverage of the trial.

The sentencing phase will be coming up next, and these boys may be given up to life imprisonment for their crimes. I don't wish that on them. Just as I wrote a few posts back, in an exploration of the recent 28-year sentence handed down to a 14-year old who raped and robbed his neighbor, I think their ages need to be taken into account. And I believe in rehabilitation, not punishment. But I am just so 100% pleased that Luis's family finally got a fair accounting for what happened that July night. Justice, finally, is served.