3 NJ teens charged with videotaped immigrant death

[kpete]

Source: Associated Press


3 NJ teens charged with videotaped immigrant death

By SAMANTHA HENRY (AP) – 8 hours ago

SUMMIT, N.J. — Dusk fell around Salvadoran immigrant Abelino Mazaniego as he sat on a bench on a promenade in an upscale New York suburb after finishing his restaurant shift. As night encroached, so did a group of teenagers, including one with a cell phone videocamera at the ready.

Then, authorities say, they beat him unconscious, with the camera rolling.

Days later, the 47-year-old father of four was dead — but not before the video had been circulated among teenagers in Summit, N.J., authorities say. And not before a nurse in the emergency room where he was taken the night of July 17 was accused of pilfering several hundred dollars from his wallet.

The attacks on Mazaniego's body and dignity resulted in days of escalating court actions that culminated Tuesday in murder charges against three young men, ages 17, 18 and 19. A fourth teenager believed to have videotaped the attack hasn't been charged, but authorities weren't divulging details on the teen's involvement or potential culpability.




Read more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jh29r6kWqjGvsFXdazCK_1AOa2ggD9H7UE6O0

[GreenPartyVoter]

1. People in my country need to grow the frick up!! My sympathy goes out to

Mr. Mazaniego and his family and friends. :cry:

[Starbucks Anarchist]

2. Let's just shoot these thugs now and get it over with.

[crim son]

3. One has to wonder if all the anti-immigrant rhetoric being tossed around

these days has anything to do with the attack. Horrible crime by youths who don't deserve to be living in this country. IMHO.

[Lightning Count]

4. Black on Hispanic racism needs to be explored and exposed...

So little light has been shed upon it and now it is coming to a head.

[Jkid]

6. Any form of racism needs to be explored and exposed.

Black on Asian, Hispanic on Asian, Asian on Black, and others. All forms of racism must be confronted.

[Lightning Count]

9. True, I was just referring to these racisms that do not get looked at much.

Thanks!

[Jim__]

5. That type of senseless violence by essentially kids.

How the hell does that happen?

[Jkid]

7. Culture

They are influenced by their peers, the media, and in some cases ignorance.

[KansDem]

8. Snuff films

The most horrendous form of entertainment...

[Jefferson23]

10. I hope we learn where their motivation for this comes from, horrendous. n/t

[DirkGently]

11. Video recording a crime should be a crime

if it isn't already. Not one for a new law for every new human horror, but this thing with kids hurting people for kicks in part because they can "brag" about it on YouTube and become mini thug-lebrities by it is extremely disturbing. We'll now have to educate children and others that if they see a group approaching with a cell-camera pointed at them to take evasive action.

Disgusting.

[GreenPartyVoter]

12. What about bystanders who are witnessing a crime and have the forethought to

record it on their phones for the police? We would lose valuable evidence that way.

[DirkGently]

14. I think we can distinguish between participants and witnesses

[AlabamaLibrul]

13. That would mean you can't videotape police officers while they (insert item)

Well, they don't want you to as it is. It'd also affect videotaping, say, murders from your fourth-story window as evidence when you catch the murderer's face on camera.

I like this idea in principle, but it'd need to be whittled down a bit to make it more precise. Perhaps... Videotaping a crime as part of the commission of it? Clearly in this case they were videotaping themselves beating the man to death. I'm not great with the legal language, but I like the idea.

[DirkGently]

15. Yes, Again, I don't think the distinction would be too difficult

For example, did you start recording before the attack? Arrive with the attackers? Did you participate in the attack? Post it on their behalf? Did you record the crime and fail to alert authorities to it as well?

The point would be to make it a risk not worth taking.

Of course, another way to look at is that if these people are so stupid as to record themselves committing a crime that they also provide all the evidence needed to prosecute them, maybe we should be thankful.

I'm just getting the impression that the desire for a "cool" YouTube clip is driving some vicious behavior.

[AlabamaLibrul]

16. I agree with your statement, my point was one more of legal semantics. It's a great idea. eom

[DirkGently]

17. Understood. But it's also possible it couldn't be done fairly

for the reasons you suggest. Just spitballing. It's just nuts seeing kids doing these horrific things to, basically, get on teevee. Nothing sells like violence. It's a chilling comment on our present culture.

[slackmaster]

18. I think being stupid should be a crime

But putting all teh idiots in jail would make the competition tougher for the rest of us.

[DirkGently]

19. That would solve many issues. 8)

[JonLP24]

21. I disagree

Let criminals produce evidence of their own crimes. Maybe making it illegal might prevent would be people from video taping their own crimes.

[DirkGently]

23. That's a point. I just suspect these "wilding" attacks or

whatever are motivated by the weirdo American desire to make popular videos. Is there any possibility these people aren't raptly watching their "hit count" after posting "Cindy gets her @ss kicked for talking shiznit about Julie" for the world's amusement?

[jah the baptist]

24. no kidding criminals should be encouraged to record their crimes.

makes the whole process a lot easier

[jah the baptist]

20. does nj have the death penalty?

i hope so

i have no problem whatsoever with it in a case like this

no question of guilt as the sadistic shitheads filmed themselves

[asdjrocky]

22. Who raises people that do this?

My God what a fucking nightmare we're living in.