Alex Stachura Beating Death

[terryh]

Remember back in 92? I remember correctly, a fight at a Warren Lasalle dance ended with the loser of the fight and his friends jumping and stomping to death Alex Stachura. Details I remember the kid that Alex fought, Nicholas Delgreco. told his friends to "get him" after the fight ended. Nicholas and several others received jail and or prison sentances.

[Patrick]

I know all about this. I think it actually happened in the fall of 1991 when I was in 5th grade. A close relative was good friends with several of the perps. Matt Trout and that Merrick [[sp) Sobotka, who I think was related to the Red Wing Zamboni driver. That Sobotka kid had a brand new red Dodge Stealth from what I remember. Ironically, Stachura is buried about four rows down from my grandparents at Resurrection.

[terryh]

It was a very tragic case Patrick. If I remember the priest had carried Alex's limp body from the area of the fight....

[EastsideAl]

What happened to the kids who beat him?

[MrNittany]

Good Christ, I'm not able to sleep well tonight, I log on and see this topic at 4:30 AM and it made my hair stand straight up.

It happened in September 1991. I'm DLS Class of 1993, just like Alex, and it was an utterly horrible time then. I wasn't at the dance [[at a Stevenson/Chippewa FB game); heard early the next morning. The upstream posts of the basic story [[initial fight, Alex "wins", then gets jumped), and the priest [[our school chaplain) carrying the body away toward medical attention are both correct.

I wasn't overly close with Alex, only an acquaintance, but he was a talented kid who would have been a great man someday. [[strangely, the 3rd classmate of mine who died in 3 years)

Last I heard, DelGreco [[who I was friends with up until we both graduated St. Anne Jr. High and drifted apart) has been released from jail [[a few years ago). He was eligible for a life sentence but did not receive that. He made some horrible decisions and he justly paid for it ..... I pray he's able to make peace with his God.

I'm pretty sure DelGreco, being the one who delivered the "final kick", was the only one involved who was [[1) tried as an adult, and [[2) served any sort of sentence beyond about a year.

RIP Alex.

[sirrealone]

I am class on 1992 and remember that as well. I don't think I went to that dance as I was sick but I can remember the exact spot in my house that I was standing when the story came on the news the next day.

I hadn't heard the part about him being carried off like that, but I do remember hearing that Fr. Mike later drove all the way up to the UP to break the news to his brother, who was away at college [[Michigan Tech?) and bring him home.

Still very sad to this day.

MrN, I think you're right about the sentencing. I think all the other guys came forward and said that Nic was the main person delivering the kicks, plus I think he was wearing steel tipped boots or something so it was evident that he had done the most damage.

[croweblack]

I was at the dance that night and was supposed to go to the fight but ended up somewhere else.

if I remember correctly the nic guy got in the most trouble due to having a black belt in karate