What minority? The kid who actually looks remorseful is a minority, but is not one of the two charged, he is presumably there on a unrelated charge - and he has his "game" face on. The two snot noses in the foreground do not look "minority" to me.
Posted on 10/15/2009 10:59:08 AM PDT by DCBryan1
Two Teens Charged In Fiery Attack Face Judge Michael Brewer's Mother To Appear On CBS' Early Show Thursday Five Teens Are Accused Of Torching Of Michael BrewerDEERFIELD BEACH (CBS4) ― Click to enlarge1 of 2 CBS Click to enlarge2 of 2 CBS
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numSlides of totalImages Related Slideshows Jewish Celebrities Muy Caliente! Fins Cheerleaders Trade Turf For Surf Famous Breast Cancer Survivors World's Most Useless Facts Related StoriesBSO Arrest Three Youths After Teen Is Set On Fire (10/13/2009) Related LinksRead Ted Scouten's Blog On The Story Michael Brewer Foundation On MySpace Two South Florida teens accused of dousing a Deerfield Beach 15-year-old boy with a flammable liquid and then setting him on fire have made their first juvenile court appearance.
During the hearing the judge ordered that Jesus Mendez, 15, and Steven Shelton, 15, be held for the next 21 days in juvenile detention while prosecutors decide if they will be charged and tried as adults. He then scheduled the next hearing in the matter for November 2nd.
Judge Elijah Williams agreed that the evidence stacked against Mendez, who reportedly flicked the lighter that set 15-year-old Michael Brewer on fire, is powerful.
"I do find probable cause for attempted 2nd degree murder," said Williams
Shelton, from Deerfield Beach, has been charged with aggravated battery.
The three other teens arrested in the attack went before the judge on Tuesday; CBS4 is not releasing their names. Four of the suspects are 15, the fifth is a 13-year-old boy; all have been charged as juveniles.
The five intentionally set Brewer on fire in act of revenge, according to the Broward Sheriff's Office.
"One of the more horrific crimes I have been associated with since I've been with BSO. It's just a horrible, horrible case," said BSO Sgt. Steve Feeley.
"It doesn't reflect very well on our community or our society," said BSO Sheriff Al Lamberti.
The attack happened Monday afternoon as Brewer was waiting for friends in the pool area of the Lime Tree Village apartments in Deerfield Beach.
According to BSO, one of the juvenile suspects, the alleged ringleader, was owed money by Brewer for a video game. The ringleader allegedly stole Brewer's father's bike as payment, but was arrested by BSO deputies after being tipped off about the theft by Brewer.
Monday, the ringleader and four friends surrounded Brewer, doused him with rubbing alcohol then Mendez allegedly used a lighter to set himr on fire, according to the BSO. The lighter was found by deputies at the scene of the crime.
Brewer's sister Malissa Durkee said she knows the teens that are under arrest.
"I've seen all of those kids," Durkee said. "I've met all of those kids that did that and it just tears me up to know that they would hurt my brother like that."
CBS 4 News contacted parents of several of the teens arrested Tuesday. Two of them declined to speak with us about the charges against their children.
Sherry Jarvis, the mother of two of the boys charged in the attack, spoke with CBS 4's Ted Scouten on Wednesday. Her 15 year old son is accused of dousing Brewer with the rubbing alcohol that caused him to burst into flames.
"They're good kids, all I can say is they got involved in something that they didn't thnk was going to go that far, I'm horribly sorry, I've been friends with the mother for years. And I don't know what to do at this point," said Jarvis. "They're good kids, they have good grades, no problems in school. Wrong place, wrong people."
Patricia Hollis's son is also in the attack. A police report says that her son helped surround Brewer. CBS 4's Carey Codd interviewed Hollis on Tuesday afternoon. This is a portion of their exchange:
HOLLIS: "I feel so sorry for (Michael Brewer), I really do. And it's sad. It really is." CODD: "As far as your son's involvement?" HOLLIS: "That's sad too. For him to even be in an atmosphere like that." CODD: "Did he have anything to do with it?" HOLLIS: "As far as I know, no he didn't. Wrong place at the wrong time."
Sgt. Feeley also told police that two of the teens laughed about the incident after they were arrested on Monday.
"A couple of them last night were laughing about it," Feeley said. "One of them arrested today seemed genuinely sorry for what he did, realizing what a tragic mistake he made."
Knowing that two of the teens made light of what happened to Brewer incensed Danny Martinez, Brewer's brother-in-law.
"It's bad to feel hatred for other people but what they did, they could have stopped," Martinez said. "They were 5 kids. One of them could have said, hey no, don't do this. They didn't. They all just went and did this. For them, it was just a laugh but for Michael it's gonna be a lifetime."
Martinez is hoping all five will pay for what happened, no matter what their role. "There's no such thing as, 'I was just standing there,'" explained Martinez. "They were all there, they could have easily walked away if they didn't want to do any part of it."
Durkee said doctors are trying to make her brother as comfortable as possible. She also said the family is getting a positive sign -- every time Michael hears his mother's voice, his eyes open.
"It's a sign of I'm a survivor," Durkee said through tears, "Saying, 'Mom I'm gonna make it through this and I'm gonna be back and I'm gonna be the Michael that I am.'"
A neighbor heard his screams for help and put out the flames with a fire extinguisher, said Malissa Durkee, Brewer's sister. The teen then ripped off his shirt and jumped into the pool.
Neighbor Jennifer Nielsen, a former lifeguard, heard Michael's screams and ran outside to help. She said she comforted Michael as he screamed in agony.
"I was like who did this to you? What happened?" she said. "He said someone threw something on me. He couldn't even say liquid. He said someone threw something on me, so it was a surprise attack."
Brewer's mother, Valerie, told CBS4's Carey Codd, "We just don't understand why anyone would do this."
Nielsen said Brewer's top layer of skin was peeling off; his eyebrows were gone as was the hair on the right side of his head. Family members said most of his hair, including his eyelashes, had been burned off.
"I'm still shaken up," Neilsen said. "But I'm happy I was there for that child. I just want that child to be ok."
Brewer was airlifted to Broward General Medical Center and then moved to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami. The pain of the burns was so intense that he was placed on a medically-induced coma.
Monday night, the suspects were in custody and at least two of them were laughing about the burning of Brewer. Mendez showed remorse for the crime, according to Sgt. Feeley. BSO deputies were able to find the suspects with the help of witnesses, who said they were afraid of the ringleader.
According to BSO, all five of the suspects have had run-ins with the law before. Some of the suspects have reportedly confessed to the crime, according to Sgt. Feeley.
"The victim will be in hospital for five months. He has second degree burns over 80 percent of body. He's in for a long, long recovery," said Sheriff Lamberti.
"At any age treating very large burns is a huge challenge. It can involve months and months of treatment, and months and months for the victim to recover. It is a long, long process. The real problem is the impact these burns have on the rest of the body," Dr. Nicholas Namias, medical director of the burn center at JMH.
Lamberti said the violence amongst kids is confounding him and other leaders. "The violence in our schools need to stop. I don't know what the answer is. As parents and leaders we need to do a better job teaching our kids right from wrong," Lamberti said.
CBS4's Neighbors 4 Neighbors will be taking in donations through the Family Fund for Michael Brewer. Go to cbs4.com/neighbors to make online donations; or call 305-597-4404.
CBS4'S Ted Scouten, Carey Codd, and Peter D'Oench contributed to this report.
< href="http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2361953/posts?page=1#1> Freerepublic link to the attack
The two youthful perps,both are minority.
One of my least favorite parts of the Constitution is that prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment.
What minority? The kid who actually looks remorseful is a minority, but is not one of the two charged, he is presumably there on a unrelated charge - and he has his "game" face on. The two snot noses in the foreground do not look "minority" to me.
IMHO, line all of them up strapped to plastic chairs, douse them all in rubbing alcohol with the whole community watching, and set them on fire and then kick them into the pool. THAT would be justice....and send a hell of a message to the rest of the community.
Of course, reality is that they will be out by their 25th birthday, with no skills, no remorse, and just bigger, meaner, and more evil to prey upon you, me, and our children.
Do you mean "minority as that that have not reached the age of majority or do you mean minority as in white kids are a minority in that part of Florida?
The Perps.
How is the race of the perp relevant?
This a.m. Mike Gallagher (sp?) was asking how this behavior is possible.
In a culture that has banned consequences and any sense of responsibility, banned discipline at home, or school, or in the community, banned the concept of “right” and “wrong”, evicted any evidence of religion, where respect for life is a “fringe concept”...what ELSE can we possible expect?
Feral.
If the FL Juvenile justice facility is anything like Arkansas, their 21 day stay in the facility will enlarge their rectum by 4" by the time they get out.
For some it would appear that race is only a factor when the suspect is a member of a minority.
But for some reason, when a white guy commits a heinous crime, none of those certain people say, "Hey look at this, another one of those white dudes in the majority committed a horrible crime!"
Yeah, those two look like Caucasians to me.
Luckily, someone was sent to rectify us of that situation a couple of thousands of years ago.
Hope these youts find Him soon.
This is a sad product of a country without mores.
Yep...this is exactly what a couple witnesses and family said about the 2 idiot teenagers who held a friend of mine and I up at gunpoint...threatening to kill us then shot at us as we sped away.....THEN proceded to carjack another lady right after us and take a joyride...THEN....shot at 4 people in a car at a movie theatre parking lot the next night..... Luckily no one was injured....
The shooter away for 16 yrs...no parole...
Always love the quotes about “what good kids they are” in almost horrendous attack.
Sure there great kids who just happened to burn someone alive.
I don’t understand how this is not called “premeditated attempted murder?” Public pools don’t have rubbing alcohol around for sun screen, so they must have brought it with them. That’s premeditated. I hope they get tried as adults and the other three get as long as possible in juvenile detention with psychological testing. They are not feral, they are demonic. “Feral” is for cats who act out simply through instinct.
I will be sending Michael Brewer a card to: Jackson Ryder Memorial Trauma Center, Attn: Public Relations Office, 1611 NorthWest 12th Ave., Miami, FL. 33136.
I would also call the Aggravated Felonies Dept. of the police dept. at 954-321-4224 and urge the prosecution to charge these boys with “premeditated” assault, or premeditated attempted murder. That’s what I just did.
One of the white kids, the Jarvis boys, was the one who poured the rubbing alcohol on Michael, according to the article. He is a monster. Every one of the boys who participated is a monster, regardless of race or ethnicity. Please re-think your eagerness to paint all perps as “minority,” thank you.
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