Two teenage girls, aged 13 and 14, have been convicted for the brutal killing of a 64-year-old disabled man, a crime committed out of sheer boredom.
A judge in Washington, D.C., on Monday ruled that the girls were guilty of second-degree murder, assault, and conspiracy to commit assault in connection with the death of Reggie Brown. A 13-year-old girl has been convicted of manipulating physical evidence. They are set to confront incarceration until they reach the age of 21, with their sentencing scheduled for next month.
According to the Washington Post, Geoffrey Harris, the lawyer representing the 13-year-old, argued that his client ought to have faced charges solely for assault.
“She did not have any intent to kill,” Harris argued. “His death was not intentional. She was only 12 at the time. She was a follower, not a leader.”
According to the Post, the attorney representing the 14-year-old, Victoria Clark, stated that her client had no involvement in the matter.
“She was not part of this,” Clark said. “The prosecutor has not proven she was part of the attack. The evidence is unreliable, untrustworthy and unacceptable.”
On October 17, 2023, officers were alerted to a situation involving an individual down in the 6200 block of Georgia Avenue Northwest, as detailed in a press release from the Metropolitan Police Department.
Upon arrival, first responders reported finding a man — later recognized as Brown — with injuries that appeared to be the result of an assault. He was pronounced deceased at the location.
An autopsy performed by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner concluded that Brown’s death was a homicide, with blunt force trauma to the head identified as the cause. A 110-pound individual was reported to have lupus and had recently fought against cancer.
Several months later, authorities apprehended the 12-year-old girl along with two 13-year-olds, charging them in connection with the incident. Months later, authorities revealed the involvement of two additional juveniles in the case.
A 15-year-old girl admitted to a reduced charge of assault with a dangerous weapon in October and received a three-year sentence in a juvenile detention center.
In accordance with her plea agreement, the teenager was obligated to provide testimony during the trial of two of her co-defendants.
The witness informed the jurors that the five girls had spent time at a skate park in Maryland prior to coming back to her residence. While searching for alternative activities, the young observer mentioned that she proposed they venture out to “find someone to beat up.”
When questioned about her reasoning, the teenager allegedly replied, “Because we were bored.”
As they strolled along Georgia Avenue, the 15-year-old recounted how their group encountered Brown, who was in the midst of being assaulted by a man clad in a blue coat, who subsequently approached the girls, according to WRC.
“He pushed (Mr. Brown) to the ground,” the 15-year-old reportedly testified. “He then walked up to us, and I asked him why he was beating him up.”
A 15-year-old took the stand, stating she was unaware of the identity of the man wearing the blue coat.
A defendant allegedly captured the assault on her cellphone, revealing multiple girls stomping on Brown’s head and striking him with his belt. After the incident, the girls allegedly captured selfies.
Malda Brown, the victim’s sister, expressed her satisfaction with the outcome regarding the two teens involved in the case on Monday. However, she emphasized, “we are also not going to stop until we get justice with this guy who initiated this whole thing with my younger brother.”