Two teens convicted in connection with the beating death of an illegal immigrant will be sentenced Wednesday in Schuylkill County.
In April, Brandon Piekarsky and Derrick Donchak were found not guilty of the most serious charges in connection with the July 2008 beating death of Luis Ramirez in Shenandoah. But, a jury said they were guilty of simple assault. On Wednesday, a Schuylkill County judge will decide what their punishment will be.
Donchak's defense attorney, Jeff Markosky, will be in court with his client.
"He's obviously looking forward to getting this over with," said Markosky. "It's been a long process and he's looking forward to getting on with his life."
There is a lot of emotion surrounding the death of Ramirez, and that's why security at the courthouse in Pottsville will be beefed up. Security guard Ed Zupko tells Newswatch 16 that a crowd is expected.
"From what we understand, they've been getting some phone calls here, when the sentencing is going to be, and they've been getting quite a few phone calls from what we hear," says Zupko.
A second metal detector will be placed at the entrance of the courtroom as an added precaution.
"We scan them pretty good here to make sure there are no knives or anything like that," says security guard Ray Jones, "and we'll double scan them upstairs. Even when they come out of the bathroom to come back in, they're going to be rescanned again."
The national spotlight is expected to shine on Schuylkill County. Several TV networks are expected to report on what sentence Brandon Piekarsky and Derrick Donchak receive.
In April, Brandon Piekarsky and Derrick Donchak were found not guilty of the most serious charges in connection with the July 2008 beating death of Luis Ramirez in Shenandoah. But, a jury said they were guilty of simple assault. On Wednesday, a Schuylkill County judge will decide what their punishment will be.
Donchak's defense attorney, Jeff Markosky, will be in court with his client.
"He's obviously looking forward to getting this over with," said Markosky. "It's been a long process and he's looking forward to getting on with his life."
There is a lot of emotion surrounding the death of Ramirez, and that's why security at the courthouse in Pottsville will be beefed up. Security guard Ed Zupko tells Newswatch 16 that a crowd is expected.
"From what we understand, they've been getting some phone calls here, when the sentencing is going to be, and they've been getting quite a few phone calls from what we hear," says Zupko.
A second metal detector will be placed at the entrance of the courtroom as an added precaution.
"We scan them pretty good here to make sure there are no knives or anything like that," says security guard Ray Jones, "and we'll double scan them upstairs. Even when they come out of the bathroom to come back in, they're going to be rescanned again."
The national spotlight is expected to shine on Schuylkill County. Several TV networks are expected to report on what sentence Brandon Piekarsky and Derrick Donchak receive.
