A teenager who pleaded guilty to her role in beating a disabled 64-year-old man to death testified this week that she and the other four teens “were bored” that night.
One of the five teenage girls accused of beating a 64-year-old disabled man to death in Washington, D.C., in October 2023 testified after pleading guilty that she and the other suspects committed the assault because they “were bored” and looking for something to do, according to reports.
Metropolitan Police Department officers responded to the 6200 block of Georgia Avenue just before 1 a.m. Oct. 17, 2023, for a report of a man down, according to a press release. Upon arrival, officers found 64-year-old Reggie Brown with trauma consistent with an assault. He died at the scene.
A local CBS station in D.C. reported that five girls between the ages of 12 and 15 were accused of chasing Brown down and beating him to death.
The oldest suspect, a 15-year-old who was sentenced to three years in prison last week for assault with a dangerous weapon, pleaded guilty along with two of the other suspects.
Prosecutors called the 15-year-old to testify Tuesday as a key witness in the trial of the two remaining girls, who face second-degree murder charges.
The station noted that it was granted permission to cover the proceeding as long as it did not identify any of the juveniles or family members.
During the 15-year-old’s testimony, the station reported, she said she and the others in her group were hanging out at a skate park in Silver Spring, Maryland, and were looking for something else to do once returning home to D.C.
The 15-year-old reportedly said she proposed they “find someone to beat up.”
The prosecutor, Gabrielle LoGaglio, asked the teenager, “Why did you suggest that to the group?”
“Because we were bored,” she reportedly responded.
At about 11 p.m., the group of girls walked toward Georgia Avenue and Sheridan Street in the Brightwood neighborhood of D.C.
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When they reached the intersection, the girl said, they came across an unknown man who was already attacking Brown as he was lying on the ground. The 15-year-old testified that she asked the man if they could help beat up Brown, and he agreed to let them.
Then, she told the court, they began chasing Brown, who attempted to flee as the man was speaking to the teens.
The station reported that surveillance footage showed the teens and the man running after Brown through an alley until they caught up with him.
The teenager testified that her younger sister recorded the group taunting Brown as they beat and kicked him.
Prosecutors presented the video in court, which reportedly showed Brown on the ground as the girls kicked and mocked him for bleeding.
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“Damn, you leaking,” one girl who remained unidentified, reportedly shouted at the victim.
The station also reported that the D.C. deputy chief medical examiner testified during an earlier hearing that Brown died of blunt force trauma to the head, which caused bleeding in his brain.
As the girls walked away from the scene, the 15-year-old reportedly testified, she realized what they had done.
“Do you remember what you were thinking when you walked back to the alley,” LoGaglio asked her.
“He’s dead,” she responded.
The same 15-year-old is expected to take the stand again Thursday to be cross-examined by the defense.
If convicted, the remaining suspects could face a maximum sentence of prison until the age of 21, the station reported.
