File Photo
A memorial vigil was held for Anthony Collao in March 2011 after he was beaten to death by six people as he was leaving a birthday party in Woodhaven that was hosted by two openly gay men.
By Forum Staff
The last two individuals of a group of six New York City teenagers who violently beat and stomped an 18-year-old Long Island man to death has been sentenced to prison. The 21-year-old defendant from Brooklyn was sentenced to 18 years behind bars and the 23-year-old Queens man was given an eight-year term of incarceration. The attack occurred in March 2011 as the victim left a birthday party in Woodhaven, Queens, that was hosted by two openly gay men.
“This is the final chapter to this horrific case,” said District Attorney Brown. “The victim, who did nothing to provoke this heinous attack, was leaving a birthday celebration. He was chased down by the defendants who yelled anti-gay slurs as they pursued him. When they caught up to the 18-year-old recent high school graduate, the defendants punched, kicked and viciously beat him. He died a couple of days later in a local hospital. Hopefully, the sentencing of these last two defendants will bring some measure of comfort to the family of the man killed and send a message that bigotry in any form is not tolerated in Queens County.”
The defendants were identified as Jonathan Echevarria, 21, of Greene Avenue in Brooklyn, and Nolis Ogando, 23, of Seneca Avenue in Ridgewood. Echevarria, pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter and was sentenced to 18 years in prison to be followed by five years’ post release supervision. Ogando pleaded guilty to first-degree gang assault and was sentenced to eight years in prison to be followed by five years’ post release supervision.
According to the charges, Anthony Collao, 18, of Long Island, and another individual had just left a party in Woodhaven on March 12, 2011, when the six defendants – Alex Velez, Calvin Pietri, Luis Tabales, Christopher Lozada, Nolis Ogando and Jonathan Echevarria – chased the two men under the impression they were gay. The defendants made derogatory remarks to the two. Three of the defendants were carrying what appeared to be a stick, pipe and cane. At approximately 12:50 a.m., the six teenagers caught the victim on 90 Street, between 88and 89 Avenue, and threw him to the ground where he was punched, kicked and bashed with objects and a piece of lattice fencing. The defendants took the victim’s Atlanta Braves baseball cap and his sneakers and left him injured on the ground. Anthony Collao died two days later as a result of the injuries he sustained during the attack.
About fifteen minutes after the attack, police apprehended five of the defendants in the vicinity of Woodhaven Boulevard and Jamaica Avenue and recovered a metal pipe with blood on it near the victim along with a piece of fencing. A sixth defendant was apprehended three months later.
Calvin Pietri, 22, of Woodhaven, Queens, pleaded guilty to first-degree gang assault and was sentenced to 16 years in prison. Luis Tabales, 22, of Richmond Hill, pleaded guilty in May 2013 to first-degree gang assault and was sentenced to 12 years in prison. Christopher Lozada, 22, of Woodhaven, pleaded guilty to second-degree assault and was sentenced to four years in prison. Alex Velez, 22, of Queens pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter and was sentenced to 18 years in prison.
