BY JOE GOULD AND CORKY SIEMASZKO
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS
 

An Ecuadorian immigrant who was fatally stabbled by a gang of Long Island louts was the victim of "a lynch mob," a prosecutor said Monday.

The incendiary charge was lobbed by Suffolk County Assistant District Attorney Nancy Clifford as alleged ringleader Jeffrey Conroy and his brazen buddies were arraigned for the murder of 37-year-old Marcello Lucero.

"This defendant and six of his friends, in their own words, said, 'Let's go find some Mexicans to f--- up,'" Clifford said in Suffok County Criminal Court.

When they couldn't find any in Medford, they drove over to Patchogue, where they spotted Lucero and a friend at the train station Saturday night, cops said.

"Like a lynch mob, the defendant and his friends got out of their car and surrounded Mr. Lucero and his friend," Clifford said.

The first to pounce was 17-year-old Kevin Shea, of Medford, who slugged Lucero, the prosecutor said.

Stunned by the blow, Lucero stripped off his belt and tried to defend himself by swinging it. But Conroy was faster.

"This defendant walked towards him and stabbed him once in the chest," she said. "These teenagers left him there to die."

Clifford insisted "this was not some high school prank."

"This was a well-thought out crime, specifically targetting Hispanic males," she said.

Conroy, 17, was ordered held without bail after pleading not guilty to manslaughter as a hate crime. The others also pleaded not guilty to gang assault charges.

Fearful of what could await them in prison, the attorneys for Conroy and Shea asked that they be placed in protective custody. Judge Toni Bean denied that request.

"The mere age of the individual does not warrant they be put in protective custody," she said.

Conroy's mother fled the courtroom in tears after Bean's ruling and once outside fell to her knees sobbing.

The lawyer for defendant Jordan Dasch, 17, of Medford, said his client is scared, too.

"He's not a big kid," said attorney Jason Bassett. "I looked at him in the face. He looked drained and very upset."

Shea and Dasch were ordered held of $150,000 bond. So were Nicholas Hausch, 17, of Medford, Jose Pacheco, 17, of East Patchogue, and Anthony Hartford, 17, of Medford.

Christopher Overton, 16, of East Patchogue, was being held on $250,000 bond. It was not immediately clear why his bond was higher.