UPDATE: April 19, 2010: A Long Island jury found Jeffrey Conroy guilty of manslaughter as a hate crime in connection with the death of Marcello Lucero.  More>>

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New York, NY, November 10, 2008 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today strongly condemned the murder of a Hispanic man on Long Island in an apparent hate crime, and praised law enforcement for their swift action to apprehend the alleged perpetrators.

"Long Island has a troubling history of immigrants being targeted for hate crimes, and we are concerned that this was another brutal assault motivated by the victim's ethnicity," said Joel J. Levy, ADL New York Regional Director.  "When a victim is singled out in this way, it sends shockwaves through a community.  We applaud the Suffolk County Police Department Homicide Squad and Hate Crimes detectives for their swift apprehension of the suspects."

Over the weekend, seven teens, all between the ages of 16 and 17, reportedly drove around searching for an Hispanic to attack.  They spotted Marcello Lucero, a 37-year-old Ecuadorian, and another man near the Patchogue train station and assaulted them.  Lucero was fatally stabbed.

The League has long been at the forefront of national and state efforts to deter and counteract hate crimes.

The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world's leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.