A 13-year-old girl, one of five teenagers found guilty last month of brutally attacking and killing a disabled man in Washington, D.C., was sentenced on Tuesday to remain in a detention facility until she turns 20. The shocking crime, which happened in October 2023, involved the girls chasing down 64-year-old Reggie Brown in an alley, beating him mercilessly, and even taking selfies and videos during the attack. They later admitted they did it because they were “bored.”
At the sentencing, Superior Court Judge Kendra Briggs didn’t hold back, saying the girl talked about the murder as casually as “making a sandwich.” The court also played a voicemail where the teenager bragged about the beating. This was too much for Brown’s family, especially one of his sisters, who had to leave the courtroom because it was so painful to hear.
“For a 13-year-old girl to celebrate something so horrific… I just couldn’t listen anymore,” the sister said after stepping out of the courtroom.
Prosecutors said the teenager was one of the leaders in the attack. She reportedly took Brown’s own belt and beat him with it, shouting “belt to a–” while others recorded the assault. Five girls, aged 12 to 15, were involved in the deadly attack, and when police asked why they did it, one of the teens chillingly replied, “Because we were bored.”
The 13-year-old sentenced Tuesday had pleaded guilty to assault and was 12 when the crime occurred. Another 13-year-old involved in the attack had already been sentenced earlier this month to stay in a youth rehabilitation center until she turns 21 after being convicted of second-degree murder. The teenager sentenced this week received the same type of punishment but will be released a year earlier.
During the hearing, the girl tried to apologize to Brown’s family, but they refused to accept it. Her history of violence in court added to the grim nature of the case. At her first appearance in July, she reportedly punched a U.S. Marshal and had to be carried out on a stretcher. As part of her plea deal, prosecutors agreed not to charge her for that outburst if she admitted to the assault on Brown.
Judge Briggs, visibly disturbed by the case, told the girl, “I’ve never seen anything like that before.”
Another teenage defendant, who was convicted of second-degree murder, assault with a dangerous weapon, and conspiracy to commit assault, is set to be sentenced on Wednesday. The horrifying details of the attack and the lack of remorse shown by some of the teens have left Brown’s family and the community heartbroken and outraged.
