WASHINGTON — A group of teenage girls kicked 64-year-old Reggie Brown to death last year because they were bored and looking for something to do, the teen who proposed the plan testified Tuesday at the trial of two other girls charged in his murder.
Five girls ranging in age from 12 to 15 years old are accused of chasing down Brown and kicking and beating him to death in an alley in the 6200 block of George Avenue NW on Oct. 17 last year. Two of the teens have pleaded guilty, including the oldest, a 15-year-old who was sentenced last week to three years in prison for assault with a dangerous weapon.
Prosecutors from the D.C. Office of the Attorney General (OAG) called her Tuesday as a key witness in the trial of two remaining girls still facing second-degree murder charges. WUSA9 was granted permission to cover the proceeding on the condition we agree not to identify any of the juveniles or their family members.
The 15-year-old said she and the other members of the group had been hanging out at a skate park in Silver Spring, Maryland, but wanted something else to do after returning to her home in the District. It was then she proposed they go “find someone to beat up.”
“Why did you suggest that to the group?” prosecutor Gabrielle LoGaglio asked her.
“Because we were bored,” the girl said.
They then headed toward the intersection of Georgia Avenue and Sheridan Street in D.C.’s Brightwood neighborhood around 11 p.m. It was there they saw an unknown adult male already attacking Brown, who was lying on the ground. The 15-year-old said she asked the man if they could help him beat brown up. When he agreed, they all began chasing Brown – who had attempted to flee the area after the man briefly walked away to speak to the teens.
Surveillance video shows the teens and the unknown man chasing Brown through an alley until they finally caught up with him. Then, one of the girls – the 15-year-old’s younger sister – used her cellphone to record while the group repeatedly taunted Brown as they beat and kicked him. Members of Brown’s family who attended the trial stepped out into the hallway before prosecutors played the graphic video, which shows Brown lying on the ground helplessly as the girls kick him and mock him for bleeding.
“Damn, you leakin’!” one girl, not identified by prosecutors, can be heard shouting at Brown.
At an earlier hearing in the staggered trial in September, D.C. Deputy Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Sasha Breland testified that Brown died of blunt force trauma to his head which caused bleeding in his brain. On Tuesday, the 15-year-old said she already realized what they’d done as they were walking away from the assault scene.
“Do you remember what you were thinking when you walked back to the alley?” LoGaglio asked.
“He’s dead,” the girl said.
The 15-year-old, who is currently in custody at the Youth Services Center, was expected to re-take the stand on Thursday for cross-examination by defense counsel. Attorneys for a 14-year-old defendant in the case have argued she has been misidentified by other members of group.
Under D.C. law, if convicted the juveniles could face a maximum sentence of imprisonment until the age of 21. In D.C. there are no juries for juvenile trials. The verdict will be decided by D.C. Superior Court Judge Kendra Briggs, who is presiding over the trial.