During a 17-year-old boy’s sentencing hearing on Friday, Broward County prosecutors showed graphic footage of the 2022 crime as the mother of the victim of rape was present in the courtroom.
The collection of videos showed off the ferocity of a 14-year-old boy for a short while. Under duress, the teenager had captured the woman being sexually abused on camera. Terry Berger-Smith even made a Facetime call to a friend to broadcast her pain, the judge was informed.
The victim’s mother had already made a statement in which she described how the “cruel act” had had a “devastating impact” on her daughter’s life, her voice cracking almost completely. Terry had requested mercy from the judge together with his parents.
Before the judge sentenced Terry to more than 41 years in prison, Terry read from a prepared statement and stated, “I pray for the victim’s forgiveness every day.”
Based on court documents, Terry was born on August 1, 2007. His criminal past began at a young age. Prosecutors in Broward County claim that Terry tried to rape a lady in New York at the age of twelve, “ripped out” her teeth, and kept it as a trophy.
Terry relocated to Broward County upon his discharge from a juvenile detention center in New York. On May 27, 2022, in Hollywood, a lady accused him of ambushing her and attempting to rape her by holding her by the neck in “a choke hold.”
The woman claimed that after fending him off, she fled back inside her apartment. There was another close rape of a woman two weeks later. It was near the Hollywood Police Department’s South Park Road and Hollywood Boulevard station.
Investigators claim that on June 10, 2022, early in the morning, Terry accosted a woman who was walking along South Park Road on her way to work while wearing a mask. Prosecutors claim Terry informed her he “had been watching her,” that he wanted to include her in his “collection,” and that he was carrying a knife and a gun.
The injured party disclosed Terry told her he was going to get her pregnant and that he was giving her an AIDS infection. She claimed that after he inquired about her living arrangements, she was told to accompany him to her house. Terry realized her lover had lied, so he fled right away.
On June 13, 2022, Terry was taken into custody by detectives at his residence in the EnV apartments nearby. Documents indicate that the pickup order was approved by Broward County Circuit Judge Michael Lynch. Terry acknowledged to frequently watching rape porn during a videotaped interview, according to detectives.
Terry made an appearance in youth court on June 14, 2022. Before prosecutors filed the capital life case in adult court on August 11, 2022, he turned 15 while in juvenile custody. On August 12, 2022, Broward State Attorney Harold F. Pryor made a statement.
A few weeks after Terry’s 17th birthday, the sentencing hearing took place on Friday. Holden declared that the 495 months he received, or roughly 41.25 years in state jail, was the “lowest” feasible term based on the rules for adult sentencing.
Holden wants Berger-Smith to be placed on lifelong probation if he is successful in getting out of prison and becomes a registered sexual offender.