NATION : 2 Get Maximum Terms in Racist Killing of Black N.Y. Teen-Ager
Two 19-year-old whites convicted in the mob beating death of a black teen-ager received maximum sentences today.
Joseph Fama was sentenced to 32 2/3 years to life in prison for his conviction on murder and other charges. Keith Mondello, the reputed ringleader of the bat-wielding mob who was convicted of lesser offenses, was sentenced to the maximum 5 1/3 to 16 years in prison.
“Without Mr. Mondello, there would not have been the death of anyone. It was a senseless death,” said state Supreme Court Justice Thaddeus Owens.
As Owens delivered Fama’s sentence in the packed courtroom, Moses Stewart, the father of slain teen-ager Yusuf Hawkins, watched intently and whispered loudly, “Yes!”
Mondello had been sentenced earlier in the day.
Mondello was acquitted of murder and manslaughter charges but convicted of riot, unlawful imprisonment and discrimination in the Aug. 23 incident that spurred racial tensions in the city. Fama was convicted of murder and other charges.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
