Onesimo Marcelino Lopez-Ramos, 18
David Harris, from left; his brother Jesse Harris, and Austin Taggart
Men accused of killing Jupiter man targeted him because of race, police say
Three men accused of killing a man in Jupiter on April 18 targeted him because he was Hispanic, police said.
Onesimo Marcelino Lopez-Ramos, 18, was beaten to death just after 1:30 a.m. in the 300 block of Fourth Street. He was the target of an attempted robbery by Jesse Harris, 18, and his brother, David Harris and Austin Taggart, both 19.
Jupiter police Chief Frank Kitzerow said the department thinks the three men targeted Lopez-Ramos because he was Hispanic.
"It began as a premeditated robbery," said Kitzerow on Monday at a news conference held at the Jupiter Police Department. "They ended up killing him."
According to the probable cause affidavit, Lopez-Ramos and two other men were the targets of the attack, when a group of six to 10 people approached Lopez-Ramos and several other acquaintances.
Lopez-Ramos was beaten to death with a rock, sustaining serious injuries to his face and the back of his head, police said. Police are unsure whether the three men suspected in the killing had attacked or robbed anyone else in the neighborhood prior to April 18.
They are also unsure what, if anything, the men took and what they were specifically seeking.
The department is suggesting that the State Attorney's Office seek an enhanced charge that would classify the beating death as a hate crime.
David and Jesse Harris were found in a vehicle in Jupiter and arrested about 12:20 p.m. Friday. Taggart also was arrested in Jupiter.
All three men have been charged with first-degree murder and attempted robbery with a deadly weapon. They are being held at the Palm Beach County Jail without bail.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/pa...427-story.html
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