A 13-year-old girl convicted in the beating death of a 64-year-old man in D.C. last year was sentenced to spend the next eight years in a secure juvenile facility.
The girl, who was 12 at the time of the crime, is one of five girls who prosecutors say beat Reggie Brown to death. The judge called the crime “horrific” and added the girl was in “desperate” need of services.
Reading from notes, the girl apologized to Brown's family in court. She said she should have walked away and said, "This is not like me. I am so sorry.”
“It saddens me that these young girls could be so brutal and do something so severe,” Brown’s sister, Malda Brown, said after sentencing. “But I’m just grateful that the judge did give the time that D.C. commits until 21.”
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Reggie Brown was kicked and stomped to death early on the morning of Oct. 17, 2023, when five girls and a man jumped him in an alley off Georgia Avenue NW, police have said. The adult suspect still has not been identified.
Brown had faced health issues for much of his life, weighing just 110 pounds and missing six fingers due to lupus. He also was battling cancer and liked to take long walks at night, according to his family. He was beaten in an alley after being dragged across Georgia Avenue NW by a man police call "Blue Coat." The man assaulted Brown before the girls asked if they could join in, authorities say.
When officers arrived at the 6200 block of Georgia Avenue NW, near Rittenhouse Street, Brown was dead.
Two of the girls, ages 13 and 14, were found guilty of second-degree murder and other charges.
Three of the girls pleaded guilty in the case, including a girl who testified they did it because they were bored.
A 14-year-old girl pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit assault. She kicked Brown a few times in the shoulder, then stood back, prosecutors said. A judge sentenced her to a juvenile facility until she turns 18. Under D.C. law, the maximum is age 21.
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