A 15-year-old girl has been sentenced to three years' detention in a juvenile hall for her role in the fatal gang beating of a 64-year-old disabled man in Washington, D.C., last year.
Reggie Brown, who was battling cancer and had debilitating lupus, did not know the five teenage girls who prosecutors say unleashed the unprovoked gang attack on him shortly after midnight in an alley in October 2023.
In August, a court heard the horrific details of the crime and saw cellphone video allegedly recorded by one of the girls during the assault.
The attackers, aged between 12 and 15 at the time, were reportedly seen kicking Brown, slamming his head on the pavement, pulling his pants down to his ankles and removing his belt to beat him.
The video also shows them celebrating what they did, according to prosecutors.
Reggie Brown, 64, was allegedly beaten to death by five girls in an alley in Washington DC. One of the girls, aged 15, has just been sentenced to three years of secure detention
At the time of his death, Brown weighed just 50 pounds and was undergoing cancer treatment.
A previous fall required a metal plate to be surgically implanted in his head, and he only had two fingers left on each hand because of his various ailments.
The 15-year-old attacker, whose younger sister also allegedly took part in the beating, appeared in court on Thursday and apologized to Brown's family as his mother watched the video, according to The Washington Post.
'I made a very important mistake. I just wanted to be by my sister's side. But what we did was wrong,” said the teenager, who was the first in the group to plead guilty.
'I feel horrible. I don't have the power to fix things. But I will keep these feelings with me all my life to be the best citizen I can be.'
Judge Kendra D. Briggs repeatedly described the attack as “horrific” as she handed down the sentence.
Briggs also told the girl that she should have been a role model for her younger sister instead of following her instructions.
Thursday's proceedings centered on details about the teenager's mental health and education that Briggs ordered reporters in the gallery not to disclose.
The five teens were charged with Brown's murder in March and are in the custody of the D.C. Department of Youth Rehabilitation while they await trial.
If convicted, four of the girls could face the maximum sentence of confinement in a Department of Juvenile Rehabilitation facility until they turn 21, after which they must be released by law.
The 15-year-old initially pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, but prosecutors downgraded it to assault with a dangerous weapon, which they said was her foot.
Gabrielle LoGaglio, a prosecutor with the District Attorney's Office, said the videos show the teen kicked Brown just once in the upper body and then retreated as the others continued to beat him.
“She cooperated and informed authorities of her and her friends’ actions,” LoGaglio said. 'And during the attack, at least she had the sense to step back and stop.'
Autopsy results showed that Brown died from blows to the head, not the torso.
The area where the girls allegedly kicked Brown, slammed his head on the sidewalk, pulled his pants down to his ankles, took off his belt and hit him
At the time of his death, Brown weighed just 50 pounds and was undergoing cancer treatment. A previous fall required a metal plate to be surgically implanted in his head, and he only had two fingers left on each hand because of his various ailments.
Police Detective Harry Singleton said during a pre-trial hearing that a 13-year-old in the group delivered the fatal blow to Brown with a kick to the head.
He described that girl’s role as “the most brutal part of the murder.”
The four girls who were allegedly most involved in the beating were charged with first- or second-degree murder. Two of them resume trial next week, while the other two have trial dates set for later in the year, the Post reported.
LoGaglio requested two years of juvenile detention for the 15-year-old, while the teen's attorney sought early release.
Brown's sister, Malda Brown, addressed the court Thursday, saying a two-year sentence was not enough.
'This crime was brutal. What happened to my brother was unacceptable, and telling young people they can do this and only get two years in prison is not justice,” she said.
After the hearing, Malda and the victim's other sister, Nasia Israel, considered the three-year sentence “more than fair”.
Following court proceedings on Thursday, the victim's two sisters called the three-year sentence “more than fair.”
Annie Brown Mouton, 90, mother of Reggie Brown, leaves DC Superior Court on August 23 after a hearing
Brown's sister, brother, nieces and nephews sent more than 20 letters to the judge asking for the 15-year-old girl to be sentenced to more than two years.
They argued that she had a robbery charge in Montgomery County, Maryland, at the time of the attack and should be incarcerated after she turns 18.
Philip Skillman, the teenager's lawyer, asked for leniency.
“She will live with this for the rest of her life,” he said. 'She is not cold-hearted. She made a blatant and horrible mistake. But she quickly demonstrated wisdom by agreeing to cooperate with authorities and clarify what happened.'
Skillman also criticized Department of Juvenile Rehabilitation Services officials for failing to provide a timely report on his client as ordered by the court, the Post reported.
Skillman said the judge alerted the agency on Sept. 13 that she was committing the teen and wanted an evaluation as soon as possible.
The agency evaluated the teen but presented its findings on the day of the sentencing hearing, which Skillman argued was not enough time for him to dispute what was in the report.
Judge Briggs ended up imposing a sentence one year longer than the prosecution requested.
“You made a very bad decision,” Briggs said. 'No doubt you will remember this for the rest of your life, that you participated in an act that ended a person's life.'
