Man Guilty of Attempted Murder in Mexican Laborer Attacks

A man accused in an incident allegedly fueled by ethnic hatred was found guilty Thursday of attempted murder for severely beating two Mexican day laborers.

Wearing a suit, an American flag tie and a long-sleeved shirt that covered his many skinhead and swastika tattoos, Christopher Slavin, 29, was convicted on two counts each of attempted murder and assault.

Slavin showed no emotion as the verdict was read. A second suspect, Robert Wagner, 19, will be tried later on the same charges.

The jury deliberated for 5 1/2 hours over two days before finding Slavin guilty of luring Israel Perez and Magdaleno Estrada Escamilla to an abandoned warehouse on Long Island last Sept. 17 with the promise of work.

The victims said they were taken to a basement, where they were savagely attacked with a shovel, a post-hole digger and a knife. Perez nearly bled to death from a deep slash to an artery in his wrist.

Both men, who have since returned to Mexico, gave vivid and poignant testimony. Estrada Escamilla, speaking with the help of an interpreter, said he had a feeling something bad was going to happen when the suspects drove them to the warehouse.

Perez’s father, Angel Perez, said in a telephone interview from his Pleasanton, Calif., home that he was pleased with the verdict.

“This type of behavior should not exist in civilization or in a country like the United States because this country opens its arms to all the world,” Perez said.

The Rev. Allan Ramirez, an advocate for Mexican workers, was angered by Slavin’s flag tie, calling it an insult to “every civilized person in this country because that flag stands for justice.”

Slavin’s attorney, Robert Del Col, said his client debated wearing the $3 tie but decided “the American flag is not something to be ashamed of.”

Prosecutor Eileen Powers argued during the trial that the attack was not about illegal immigration or green cards but about hate.

The case put a national spotlight on immigration issues and problems facing day laborers nationwide and particularly on Long Island.

Del Col said jurors were swayed by the prosecutor’s depiction of his client as a white supremacist and skinhead.

“I think they [the jury] were bombarded with imagery and prejudicial testimony, and I think it jaded their ability to objectively review the evidence,” Del Col said. He said he will appeal the verdict.

Del Col focused on inconsistencies between physical evidence and testimony, and particularly on the lack of any blood found in the basement where the two victims said the attack occurred.

Blood was found outside the warehouse site. Powers explained the discrepancy, saying they may have mixed things up because they were busy fighting for their lives.

Slavin faces a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison on each of the attempted murder charges.