Film on Patchogue Marcelo Lucero hate crime televised

A documentary that explores community tensions surrounding the killing of Ecuadorean immigrant Marcelo Lucero in a Patchogue hate incident in 2008 will air Sunday at 5:30 p.m. on WLIW-21, following showings at film festivals since its 2012 release.

The film looks at the story from shifting perspectives that include the victim’s family, community advocates and relatives and friends of the seven young men accused in the assault and fatal stabbing — particularly Bob Conroy’s, father of accused stabber Jeffrey Conroy, serving a 25-year sentence for first-degree manslaughter as a hate crime.

The television version has been edited down to an hour and is intended for all audiences, said Susan Hagedorn, the film’s director.

The underlying message “is the same that hate crime hurts everyone,” Hagedorn said. “This version has a little bit more emphasis on Bob Conroy and you really see the struggle that he goes through with his son having been convicted.”