Guilty verdict in retrial of NY man accused of fatally beating Ecuadorean immigrant
By APMonday, June 28, 2010
Guilty verdict in NY beating death of immigrant
NEW YORK — A New York City jury has convicted a man of murder as a hate crime in the beating death of an Ecuadorean immigrant.
Jurors deliberated for about seven hours Monday before convicting Keith Phoenix in the December 2008 death of Jose Sucuzhanay (Soo-koo-suh-NEYE’).
Phoenix also was convicted of attempted assault as a hate crime in the attack on Sucuzhanay’s brother.
He was retried on the charges after the first jury ended in a mistrial.
Prosecutors say Phoenix and Hakim Scott mistook the brothers for gay men and yelled slurs.
Scott was convicted in May of manslaughter but was acquitted of a more serious murder charge. The jury found his actions were not a hate crime.
Phoenix faces 25 years to life in prison for the most serious charge. Sentencing was scheduled for Aug. 5.
