Friends and relatives of two teens accused in the beating death of a Mexican immigrant struggled to contain their relief as not-guilty verdicts were announced on the most serious charges against the former high school football stars Friday . Luis Ramirez died of blunt force injuries after a confrontation with a group of Pennsylania teens . Gasps filled the courtroom and some had to be restrained by sheriff 's deputies as they tried to rush the defense table after Derrick Donchak , 19 , and Brandon Piekarsky , 17 , were acquitted of aggravated assault , reckless endangerment and ethnic intimidation for the death of Luis Ramirez . Piekarsky was also found not guilty of third-degree murder for the death of Ramirez , who died of blunt force injuries after an encounter with the teens last summer . However , the all-white jury of six men and six women from Schuylkill County jury found Piekarsky and Donchak guilty of simple assault . The case drew national attention to the small town of Shenandoah , Pennsylvania , highlighting race relations and polarizing the community on who was to blame for the incident . Lawyers for the teens never denied that their clients were involved in a physical altercation with Ramirez on a residential street the night of July 12 . Instead , they tried to cast Ramirez as the aggressor , and suggested that the other teens involved in the tangle of punches and blows were to blame . `` In my mind it was the lack of evidence to tie these kids to the serious charges that they brought , '' defense lawyer Frederick Fanelli said . A cast of witnesses provided conflicting accounts regarding who initiated the encounter and who exactly did what , complicating prosecutors ' efforts to assign blame . `` If you ask most prosecutors who are dealing with multiple defendants , and in this particular case there were at least four , it is extraordinary difficult to clear the fog of a fight , '' truTV anchor Ashleigh Banfield said . The 25-year-old Mexican immigrant had settled in Shenandoah a year before his death with his wife , a lifelong resident of the faltering mining town , and their young children . He was walking down a residential street with a friend when he encountered the group of teens , who had been drinking earlier in the evening . Donchak was convicted of providing alcohol to the other teens who were involved in the confrontation , including a juvenile co-defendant and another teen who pleaded guilty in federal court for his role in the fight . Prosecutors alleged that the teens baited the Ramirez into a fight with racial epithets , provoking an exchange of punches and kicks that ended with Ramirez convulsing in the street , foaming from the mouth . He died two days later in a hospital . Piekarsky was accused of delivering a fatal kick to Ramirez 's head after he was knocked to the ground . As they poured out of courthouse , the teens ' supporters shouted `` I was right from the start '' and `` I 'm glad the jury listened '' at cameras that caught the late-night verdict . But Gladys Limon , a spokeswoman for the Mexican-American Legal Defense and Education Fund , said the jury had sent a troubling message . `` The jurors here [ are ] sending the message that you can brutally beat a person , without regard to their life , and get away with it , continue with your life uninterrupted , '' she said . `` In this case , the message is that a person who may not be popular in society based on their national origin or certain characteristic has less value in our society , '' she said . The extent of Ramirez 's injuries , which had left his brain oozing from his skull , according to medical testimony , should have sufficed for a conviction other than simple assault , Limon said . `` The acts here were egregious in brutality and it 's just outrageous and very difficult to understand how any juror could have had reasonable doubt , especially as to the aggravated assault and the reckless enganderment charges , '' she said . Limon said her group intends to press the Department of Justice to file federal charges against the teens . `` Luis Ramirez 's family deserves vindication for his death , '' she said . `` This incident has not only disrupted Luis Ramirez 's family , but the entire community . '' CNN 's Brian Rokus contributed to this report .
Teens acquitted of murder , aggravated assault , ethnic intimidation . Verdict sends `` extremely dangerous '' precedent , advocacy group says . Schuylkill County prosecutors alleged the beating was racially motivated . The teens were found not guilty on all charges and will be tried as adults in a court room next month.