“Today, you are going to take responsibility for what happened,” said DC Superior Court Judge Kendra Briggs in imposing the maximum sentence allowed for a juvenile under DC law on Dec. 4.
The 13-year-old defendant, one of five youths accused in the case, was convicted last month on five counts for the murder of Reggie Brown on Oct. 17, 2023, on the 6200 block of Georgia Avenue, NW. The youth decided to complete her trial rather than accept a plea agreement.
She was found not guilty before the judge of first-degree murder, guilty of second-degree murder, not guilty of conspiracy to commit murder, not guilty of assault with intent to kill, guilty of assault with a dangerous weapon – belt and shod foot– guilty of conspiracy to commit assault, guilty of tampering with evidence and guilty of conspiracy to commit tampering.
Brown, 64, was severely disabled and, in an apparently random encounter, chased into an alley by the girls who, according to evidence presented at trial, stomped him to death. A male suspect believed to be the instigator, identified as wearing a blue coat, is still at large.
In her allocation recommendations earlier in the proceeding, the prosecutor replayed a video summary of events leading up to and documenting what she described as a predatory attack on a defenseless victim.
The assailants,12-to-15-years-old at the time and known to each other, captured the murder in a chilling 55-second cell phone sequence. As the camera illuminates the darkened scene, the girls deliver a series of sharp kicks to Brown’s uncovered head as he lay unconscious on the ground, bleeding out from his wounds. Their laughter and cries of celebration act as narration to the gruesome scene.
The 13-year-old, who was 12 on that night, was singled out by the prosecutor for her role in the brutal assault saying that she acted with purpose and intent and “assisted in every aspect of Brown’s murder.”
“At no time did she show any reflection before killing him,”said the prosecutor.
The widely publicized case has been in trial since last August as prosecutors carefully laid out a web of evidence linking all five defendants through a series of self-incriminating social media posts allegedly acknowledging the crime and conspiring to cover it up.
Two other defendants have accepted plea deals in the case. A 14-year-old was convicted with the 13-year-old in last month’s proceeding. She awaits sentencing on Dec. 18. Another suspect will face Judge Briggs on Dec. 17 for disposition.
Her voice rising in anger, Judge Briggs said, “What happened to Mr. Brown in that alley was horrific” Pointing out that the 13-year-old says she wishes she had made a different decision, nonetheless the judge said, “you actually jumped over a fence” to take part in the crime.”
Reciting from social media evidence the judge recounted that the defendant claimed, “We just killed a [n-word]!”
“You are in desperate need of services,” said Judge Briggs in committing the girl to the Department of Youth and Rehabilitation Services (DYRS) until age 21. Under DC law juveniles can’t be held any longer and upon release their records will be sealed.
For her part, the defendant stood with head bowed and delivered a short apology to the court and to two of Brown’s sisters who attended the hearing.
She said she “should have walked away,” and hopes to start over.
Geoffrey Harris, who represented the teen, offered his condolences to the family and admitted that the prosecution’s handling of the matter was “absolutely right.”
“This is a horrible thing that happened,” he said, and that the girl is embarrassed by the tragic event and wants to extend her good will to the family.
Given that no number could make things right, he argued unsuccessfully that the defendant’s incarceration should end at 17.
After the sentencing two of Brown’s sisters spoke with reporters outside the courthouse.
Brown’s oldest sister said she was grateful that the judge administered the maximum allowable sentence but excoriated the city’s youth justice system, which she called a revolving door.
“They let them right back into the community where they commit crime after crime after crime,” she said. “No family should have to experience anything like this again,” she continued.
As for the youth’s apology, the sister said it was insincere. “She didn’t give no reason, no empathy, no sympathy,” she said.
Especially during the holiday season, the sisters say, the family feels saddened and heartbroken by Reggie’s loss– their grief symbolized by an empty chair at the Thanksgiving table.
