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.
Teen Claims She and 4 Other Girls Beat Elderly Man to Death Because They Were ‘Bored’
Five girls between the ages of 12 and 15 allegedly beat 64-year-old Reggie Brown to death in an alley on Oct. 17, 2023, authorities said
A teenage girl who pleaded guilty in connection with the beating death of an elderly man in Washington, D.C., testified in court this week, as two other young girls still face first-degree murder charges for their alleged roles in the 2023 killing, according to multiple news reports.
Five girls between the ages of 12 and 15 allegedly beat 64-year-old Reggie Brown to death in an alley on Oct. 17, 2023, authorities said, per WUSA9, WJLA, and The Washington Post. The identities of the girls have not been made public.
When officers responded to the incident, Brown was pronounced dead at the scene, and an autopsy performed by the Chief Medical Examiner later showed he had sustained blunt-force trauma consistent with a homicide, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) said in a previous statement.
Related: 3 Young Girls Arrested in Connection with Murder of Disabled Man in Washington, D.C.
The attack was reportedly caught on video and has been played in D.C. Superior Court as two of the girls currently stand trial on first-degree murder charges. The Washington Post previously reported that the one-minute-long clip showed five girls chasing Brown into an alley in the Northwest neighborhood of the city, pulling him down off a chain-link fence he was attempting to climb, and stomping on his head.
They then proceeded to pull down his pants, take his belt and hit him with it, according to The Washington Post. One of the girls in the video could be heard cheering, “He’s leaking,” referring to Brown’s head bleeding, the news outlet added.
The 15-year-old girl, who has already accepted a plea deal for her role in the killing, testified in court on Tuesday, Oct. 15, speaking about the moments that led up to the killing, WUSA9 reports. The teen said in court that she and her friends were hanging out at a park that day before the group decided they needed to “find someone to beat up,” according to the outlet.
Asked why by the prosecutor, the 15-year-old said, “Because we were bored,” WUSA9 reports.
The girl who testified was sentenced last week to three years of secured detention after pleading guilty to a lesser charge, per The Washington Post. According to the outlet, a second teen has also pleaded guilty for their role in the case but has yet to be sentenced.
During previous court proceedings, homicide detective Harry Singleton testified that Brown was disabled, per The Washington Post. He had mental health issues, had two fingers on each hand and had a metal plate in his head, Singleton said, the outlet reported.
If the two girls on trial are found guilty, they face a maximum sentence of secured detention until they turn 21, at which point they would be released, per Washington D.C., law, WUSA9 reports.