Identity of Lynn beating victim clarified

LYNN – A Guatemalan immigrant beaten near to death by a group of Lynn juveniles on July 22 was originally identified by police as Abraham Pojoy, but authorities have since learned that the victim is Damion Merida.Merida, 30, has relatives with the surname Pojoy, according to family friends. He remains in Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston where he was taken for treatment of massive head injuries that investigators say were caused by bricks, sticks and bottles.Steve O’Connell, a spokesman for Essex District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett, confirmed Wednesday that Merida is in stable condition.Six juveniles – ranging in age from 11 to 14 – have been arraigned in Juvenile Court in connection with the savage beating. The suspects were charged with aggravated assault with a dangerous weapon and attempted murder, allegedly for beating the man as he slept in woods near the commuter railroad tracks abutting Robert McManus Field. The youths were also charged with violating the victim’s civil rights and assault with intent to maim.All six pleaded not delinquent to the charges.O’Connell said the law prevents him from commenting on the case because of the defendants’ ages. “Once a juvenile is arraigned, I can’t comment any further,” he said Wednesday.Police Lt. William Sharpe said Merida was attacked because of his ethnicity, not his social status. The victim was described by police as homeless, but his sister-in-law, Maria Gonsalez of Lynn, said that wasn’t the situation.Merida’s life took a downturn when his girlfriend broke up with him a few years ago, said Gonsalez, noting that on the day he was savagely beaten, he had just learned the woman was married and expecting a child.”Any time he started remembering her he would drink,” Gonsalez said. “And when he drank, sometimes he would not come back for two or three days. But he always came home because he worked lots of jobs to help his sick mother. Damion lived with her in Lynn and he worked very hard outside, gardening and landscaping, to get enough money for food and to pay the rent.”Gonsalez said Merida arrived in the U.S. at age 15 and grew up in Lynn surrounded by a large family, including his brother Freddy Merida, Gonsalez’ husband, and their 10 children.”Damion spent his time with the family,” she said. “He didn’t go out much.”At least four of the suspects have been released from state Department of Youth Services custody and ordered to wear electronic bracelets that monitor their location. The 14-year-old, arrested on July 25, three days after the crime, remains in custody.Police apprehended the 11-year-old on July 27. The 12-year-old and the three 13-year-olds were arrested July 29. Since then, police have issued an arrest warrant for the 11-year-old who lives off South Common Street but no further information was available.”I can’t believe the judge let them go,” said Gonsalez, who attended the court proceedings. “My brother’s memory is lost. He doesn’t even remember his family because of what these people did to him. But the judge listened to the coaches who said these boys are good kids, that they go to sports.”All six of the juveniles live in West Lynn. With the academic year about to begin on Sept. 8, Lynn school officials are discussing how to handle the defendants’ possible return to classes, given the heinous nature of the accusations.School attendance and discipline specialist Richard Iarrobino said a relatively new state law allows principals to hold a hearing and weigh a student’s continued status in school against charges involving a serious crime committed off school grounds.”Any student charged with a serious felony is entitled to a hearing. If the principal determines the student’s presence would have a detrimental effect on the school, the principal can indefinitely suspend until disposition of the case,” Iarrobino said.Parents can appeal the principal’s ruling to Superintendent Catherine Latham who also has the option to hold hearings on the juvenile’s status