two salinas men, 38 year-old Manuel Rivera, and 45 year-old Ricardo Torres, were convicted of assault causing great bodily harm and a hate crime for the may 2013 attack on 33 year-old Aurelio Alvarado. Rivera and Torres entered Norma Jean’s in Castroville (which is known for serving a lesbian, gay, bisexual andtransgender clientele) and physically assaulted Alvarado while yelling derogatory slurs at him. after the two were ejected from the club, they waited for alvarado,attacked him, and left him unconscious on the sidewalk.
witnesses and nightclub staff chased the two assailants until monterey county sheriff’s deputies made the arrests. Together, the two face up to nearly five decades in prison.