By Howard Koplowitz
Minucci, 19, who is white, is accused of beating Glenn Moore, a 23-year-old black man from St. Albans, with an aluminum baseball bat while shouting racial epithets at him near 160th Avenue and 78th Street at around 3 a.m. in Howard Beach back on June 29. He faces anywhere from eight to 25 years in prison if convicted on the hate crime charges.The admissions were part of audio and videotaped statements made by Minucci when he was detained and were played in Queens Criminal Court before Justice Joseph Grosso last week during hearings to determine whether or not the remarks are admissible in court, according to the DA's spokeswoman. The hearings were scheduled to continue this week.She said Minucci “confessed to hitting [Moore] several times on the body” but “denied hitting him in the head,” according to the statements. Moore suffered a fractured skull in the attack, according to Brown.Before the altercation, according to the DA's office, Minucci shouted to Moore, “What n—–, what?” Minucci said Moore and three black men were planning to rob him in Howard Beach and they held a screwdriver to his neck and asked for his chain and watch but were deterred when a car passed by, according to the New York Post. Minucci said he then chased Moore on foot and then by car, the paper reported. He claimed he chased after the four black men to hold them for the police when he beat Moore's back and legs with a bat, according to the Post.Anthony Ench, 22, of Howard Beach, Minucci's white co-defendant, admitted to his role in the attack when he pleaded guilty to assault as a hate crime in early November for kicking Moore and stealing his sneakers. He is serving a two-year sentence in a state prison. Reach reporter Howard Koplowitz by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 173
