Nation IN BRIEF : PENNSYLVANIA : Judge Sentences 6 for Baseball Bat Slaying

Six young men received lengthy prison terms in the Philadelphia baseball bat beating death of an altar boy, and the victim’s father angrily told them he wants to witness their ultimate judgment. “When I die, I want to be the first spirit you meet in the next world,” said John Polec, father of 16-year-old Eddie Polec. “The Lord wreaks vengeance and I want to be there to see it.” Polec was jumped by students from a rival high school on Nov. 12, 1994, to avenge insults and get even for a rumored assault on a girl--a rumor that turned out to be false. The severity of the attack stunned residents and drew national outrage for the surliness and slowness of Philadelphia’s 911 operators.