The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), Washington, DC, announced in a Friday statement that a 13-year-old girl was taken into custody on Thursday, March 28, 2024, facing second-degree murder charges. The following day, Friday, March 29, two additional girls, one aged 12 and the other 13, were also apprehended and charged with second-degree murder in connection with the brutal attack and murder of 64-year-old Reggie Brown, a disabled man, officials said following an incident that occurred on October 17, 2023.
During the judicial proceedings, it was disclosed that the judges presiding over the case dismissed any first-degree murder charges due to a significant lack of evidence against the defendants.
Authorities reported that the group was captured on video during the assault, which took place in the middle of the night. The footage showed the girls, part of a group of five, chasing Brown through an alley, pulling him off a chain link fence as he tried to flee.
The attackers stomped on Brown’s head, causing severe trauma, and escalated the brutality by pulling down his pants and beating him with his belt. They were heard laughing during the assault, with one exclaiming, “He’s leaking!” as Brown began to bleed from his head.
Brown was found dead on the street before 1 a.m., with injuries consistent with a violent assault. An autopsy confirmed blunt force trauma as the cause of death. Brown, who had mental health issues and was physically disabled, was a known figure in his community. He had a metal plate in his head and only two fingers on each hand.
Brown’s niece released a statement, voicing the family’s sorrow and demanding justice for the violent incident. “It’s unthinkable that this could happen to my uncle, a familiar face in this community for so many years. To endure such a tragedy in the place he called home for 64 years is beyond belief. Accountability is essential!” she expressed.
The assault on Brown reportedly began with a man in his early 20s attacking Brown before encouraging the girls to join in. The complexity of the case deepened with the revelation that two of the girls claimed they were coerced into participating in the attack under the threat of violence from the man, who allegedly brandished a gun.
Police reports show one of the girls was particularly aggressive, using Brown’s belt against him while recording the attack on her cellphone.
Investigators noted the girls did not know Brown before the attack, leading to questions about the violence’s motive.
One of the 13-year-olds was apprehended by court order, while a subsequent event saw the 12-year-old suffer a gunshot wound to the leg in an unrelated incident on Friday, March 29. The teenager was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
The suspects are being tried as juveniles and are currently detained at the D.C. Youth Services Center, with their subsequent court appearances scheduled for the first week of April.
