A man involved in the beating and stomping death of a teenager perceived to be gay has been sentenced to 18 years in prison.
Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown says 21-year-old Alex Velez pleaded guilty to manslaughter in April following a hate crime prosecution.
Eighteen-year-old Anthony Collao of Bethpage on Long Island had just left a party with another person in March 2011 when the attackers chased them.
Callao was thrown to the ground and beaten. He died two days later. Police recovered a bloody metal pipe and a piece of fencing.
Police said the suspects made anti-gay slurs and scrawled on a wall with red markers after crashing the party.
Three other defendants previously were sentenced to prison. Two more are awaiting trial.
Copyright AP - Associated Press