Luis Eduardo Ramírez Zavala, a 25-year-old undocumented Mexican immigrant, was beaten to death in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania in July of 2008. His death was at the hands of four white teens who targeted and beat him simply for being Latino.
The irregularities that took place in the trial from the very beginning caught the attention of the Department of Justice (DOJ). The DOJ opened its own investigation. In December 2009, the DOJ filed hate crime charges against Brandon Piekarski and Derrick Donchak. Both face possible life sentences if convicted. Their trial is set to start on October 4 in Scranton Pennsylvania.
The prior acquittal verdict caused an international outcry in Latino communities, social justice organizations and immigrant advocacy groups across the country and in Mexico. All eyes will be on this trial to see if Luis Eduardo Ramírez Zavala finally gets justice.
Latina Lista's coverage of the trial not only elevates awareness of the judicial proceedings in the name of the murdered victim in the mainstream media, but serves as the trusted eyes, ears and voice for those in the Latino community for whom this story is much more than a random murder.
The reporter covering the federal trial in Scranton is Gustavo Martínez. He’s a bilingual, multimedia journalist based in Philadelphia. He’s been covering the case for two years and has built up an intimate knowledge of the crime and the people involved.
In addition, Gustavo is a noted videographer, blogger and podcaster, as well as, a journalist which ensures ongoing updates on the trial and a final reporting of the trial's outcome.
The reporter, Gustavo Martínez, will be temporarily relocating to Scranton during the duration of the trial and will be blogging and podcasting in both Spanish and English on developments during the trial.
Coverage of the trial will entail bilingual blog postings and Twitter alerts. There will also be podcasts. When possible, photos and/or video will be included in the coverage. Since there are several restrictions when it comes to the use of recording devices in the courthouse, the daily podcast will be the highlights of the day's proceedings. Given the nature of the trial, there is no time limit for it, but estimates are that it could take at least one month.
The final article will be a wrap-up of the proceedings with the trial's final outcome.
