;)
Saturday
Apr122008
Florida Teens Attack Girl on Youtube
Saturday, April 12, 2008 at 12:17AM 
Victoria "Tori" Lindsey,16, a senior at Mulberry High School, said she learned a lesson about betrayal and friendship after receiving a severe beating at the hands of her "friends". The incident was recorded and placed on the video-sharing site Youtube. Six girls, one boy and a young man were arrested on charges of felony battery and false imprisonment.
Arrested are: Mercades Nichols, 17, Brittini Hardcastle, 17, and Britney Mayes, 17, facing charges of felonious battery, false imprisonment and kidnapping in connection with the attack. Cara Murphy, 16, Kayla Hassell, 15, April Cooper, 14, Zachary Ashley, 17, and Stephen Schumaker, 18, facing charges of felonious battery and false imprisonment.
The girl's mother, Talisa Lindsay, said it was painful to watch the video, which a Polk County sheriff's detective brought to their home days after the attack so Tori could identify the girls involved. Click on the image below to see the video.
"When you see your daughter who is not striking back to defend herself and someone keeps coming at you like that, it's a horrible thing," the girl's mother said. "I just don't understand it."
Tori's father said he didn't recognize his daughter in the emergency room. "I've never seen anyone's face disfigured like that,"he said. The teens arrested and accused of participating in the videotaped beating engaged in "animalistic behavior," Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said in a press conference. "It's pack mentality," he said. "They lured her there to beat her." According to the Sheriff's Office, Tori Lindsey was having problems at home and was staying with a friend, Nichols, in Lakeland. On March 30 about 8:30 p.m., Tori arrived at Nichols' house on West Calendar Court and was greeted by Nichols and another girl. She went into the bedroom where she was staying, and a third girl, April Cooper, 14, began to insult and threaten her, then hit her in the face several times and slammed her head into a wall, knocking her unconscious.
When Tori awoke, she was on the living-room couch surrounded by six girls who took turns hitting and kicking her while the beating was videotaped. She told investigators that the six blocked the door, held her down and beat her for a half-hour. Sometime during the attack, her left ear and eye were injured. While this was going on, two boys, both teenagers acted as lookouts. Tori told investigators that Schumaker and Ashley knocked on the front door and warned the girls they were making so much noise that neighbors were wondering what was going on."I could be facing a year and a day in jail for something I didn't do," Schumaker said. After the beating, three of the girls drove her to another friend's house, where they told her, "If you go to the police, the next beating will be worse." Tori Lindsay has bruises, a concussion and damage to her left ear and eye, although her family said she is expected to recover.
The family would like a public apology from the girls, and they also want a law to protect kids on video and social-networking Web sites. Tori plans to continue her schooling at home rather than return to Mulberry High.
Mary Nichols, the grandmother of one of the girls who was arrested, says her family is suffering, too. The beating is alleged to have happened at Nichols' house while she was at work. Since the sheriff's office released the video this week, Nichols said, she has been receiving threatening, obscenity-laced telephone calls, and someone scratched her car.
"This is definitely traumatic to everyone, not just to Tori's family," Nichols said.
A Polk County judge issued a gag order in the case, after parents of some of the teens and Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd appeared on national TV shows discussing the case. Meanwhile, a central Florida couple, Darlene and Jerry Ashley, claim they are being hounded by angry callers who mistakenly think they're connected to the notorious videotaped beating of the girl. Their phone number was mistakenly posted by a user of the YouTube video-sharing Web site, along with the numbers of the other teens charged in the beating. Callers think the Lakeland couple are the parents of one of the teen boys involved who has the same last name. They say they have gotten around 300 angry, abusive calls from all over the country.
Mercades Nichols, 17, remains in the Polk Regional Juvenile Detention Center in Bartow along with the six other minors who were arrested in the case. Schumaker, 18, was released from the Polk County Jail on bail.
Reader Comments (25)
You must be kidding the grandmother says she is suffering too? Do you really think that a few phone calls and car being scratched is anything equal to the girl being beatin for 30 minutes? Give me a break....
This is wrong how could they do this to her. I think the 17 year old girls should be in jail.
These girls are really ugly and greasy looking. I believe it was jealousy, whatever excuse they give, it was jealousy.
This makes me so angry. Someone should beat these girls like that or scare the hell out of them at least. I wish the victim had someone to stick up for her.
My hope is that the judge puts himself in the victim's shoes as he gives out the sentence. The punishment defintely needs to fit the crime and if you think that people won't react by all means no that the sentencing phase will not go unnoticed.
this just shows how bad violence really is. most parents rly dont understand what really goes on during school. This just needs to be a wake up call to schools that bullying doaes happen and parents need to believe that it could be your kid that is bullying. we need to start speaking out towards teen violence or our little brothers and sisters genrations will most likely be just as bad and we dont want them to go through the same things that has happened to this girl. So if you care for your younger generation then speak out and make a difference.
THIS SERIOULSY MADE ME NAUSEAUS TO WATCH THAT POOR GIRL.. SHE IS ONLY HALF THE SIZE OF THAT DUMB BITCH BEATING THE SHIT OUT OF HER. IM SO GLAD THEY FILMED THIS ONLY BECAUSE HOPEFULLY THIS MAKES THEIR SENTENCE WORSE. I HOPE THEY GET THE SHIT BEAT OUT OF THEM IN JAIL YOU SERIOUSLY HAVE TO BE SO FUKED UP IN THE HEAD TO DO THIS TO ANOTHER PERSON, IT SADDENS ME TO KNOW THAT THIS REALLY HAPPENS EVERYDAY AND I DONT THINK PEOPLE REALIZE THAT AND EVEN WORSE THAY DONT CARE BECAUSE THEY THINK IT DOESNT INVOLVE THEM!!! THESE GIRLS BETTER GET SUITABLE SENTENCES AND NOT ANY FUKING "PROBATION" AS USUAL I AM SO SICK OF SEEING KIDS LET OFF FOR HORRIBLE CRIMES AND ACT STUPID LIKE THEY "DIDNT KNOW" OR IT WAS A "JOKE" JUST BECAUSE THEY ARE UNDER AGE DOESNT MEAN THEY DONT KNOW ANY BETTER, ITS ALL JUST AN EXCUSE. FUK THOSE GIRLS THEY WILL GET WHATS COMING!
I think that this girl definatly went through a dramatic experience, don't get me wrong. I also think that the goal of the "white trash" participants was reached in becoming e-famous. The media should stop blowing this shit up. Stop making this something that it isn't. Punish the offenders, support the victim, but stop capitalizing on the misfortune of this poor girl. Would any one have veard about it if it wasn't on video? Or if it were boys? What if it were black kids? Noone would care. Stop supporting these lil assholes.
I have never n my life seen some shit like this, all of them r some true punks. It took all of them to jump 1 girl. They should b ashamed of there sleves. And the big one keeps hittn her pick on someone your own size tramp
I would like to know the outcome
PFFT UNREAL ... THEY ALL NEED TO ROT ...
when i first saw the video i so upset wow if i was that girl all of thoses gurls would be getting an ass wopping one by one it dosent matter if u dont like someones myspace it myspace and they just need to get over them selfs there just a bunch of stupid teenaged girls that need to get a life
The charges were dropped against the boys and Cara. From the start, law enforcement lied. Anyone who actually examined the released evidence knew this.
People encouraging violence against these kids should be ashamed, you can get them severely or permanently injured. You're no better than Cara Murphy who failed to stop the beating, in fact you're worse, you're like the camera girl (NOT Cara Murphy) who cheered the beating.
Trying 14 and 15 year-old girls "as adults" for *misdemeanor* battery is simply child abuse and the reasons are purely political, the sheriff is running for re-election in the fall.
There are still many more lies and a lot of misinformation about this case out there. The girls do deserve a fair punishment for their misdemeanor battery, but they do not deserve a deluge of death threats, massive encouragement of violence against them on the Internet (conveniently ignored by the media and bloggers), biased judicial system (the bail amounts were ludicrously high if you know *anything* about Florida bail amounts in similar cases), and being shut silent by the judge while law enforcement saturates the media with lies about them.
Those girls went way too far trying to get back for whatever wrong, real or imagined, the victim did to them. Now powerful people are going way too far in exploiting this for their own gain. It's poetic justice but it is NOT justice. And the difference is those people are adults and they are trying to outright destroy the children's lives. And the entire world cheers. Hypocrisy is alive and well.
See the latest update to this story here on my blog at: http://shadmia.com/2008/06/16/charges-dropped-against-3-teens/
I have no pity for any of them, they knew the differences between right and wrong and they made there choice. Insuffucient evidence my ass, They needed some of these kids to walk in order to build there cases against the others. This was the city doing a deal. They agreed to drop the charges as to not have anything on their permanent records and in six months their records will be expunged and in exchange these boys and girls will be on the witness stand singing like a canary.
There is a BIG difference in being aquitted and having charges dismissed. In fact if the SAO decides to, they have 3 years from the time of the arrest to recharge them. I doubt they will but......
THOSE GIRLS NEED TO GET BEATEN UP JUST LIKE THE BEAT UP THAT GIRL AND SEE HOW IT FEELS. THEY ARE SO MESSED UP IN THE HEAD. I HOPE THEY ROT IN JAIL. FUCKIN SKANKS. THEY SHOULD BE HUNG.
i think the girls our evil and this is gonna hunt them for the rest of there lifes they should be a shamed of there selfs whit kind of parents do they have how was they raised.do they not no any better all i can say is this is very gross and evil and the girls that have did this what did they think was gonna happen to them .they should service there 10 years and and let this always be on record and put there faces on utube so that one day when they have kids they want let there kids go on utube becouse they will be ashamed of what they have done but the sad thing is i dont think they care
I am disgusted by what I have seen and heard regarding this story. It saddens me that I am going to have to teach my children that this kind of evil exists and that they must be careful of such cowardly people. I am so sick and tired of parents making excuses for their children's rotten behavior. These girls deserve the worst punishment possible.
first of all i dont think that anybody should threaten phisical violence against anyone who participated in the beating but its probably just a tit for tat kind of thing. also im not sticking up for the girls who did it but i dont think that anybody should talk about the granmother like she did something wrong. its not her fault what they did so she shouldnt have to suffer.
i agree, the grandmother is being pathetic. i rather get prank calls and car scratched then to take a beating like the poor girl did. may all these girl go to hell!! they are sad, raised like animals.
OMG!! When I saw this video I was thinking about my little sister and all the bull crap drama that goes along with high school. This WAS wrong and if the parents were really "parents" then they're children would know it's wrong to do that to another human being. C'mon really... the parents obviously don't have parenting skills. These girls knew what they were doing if they're old enough to have sex believe me they're old enough to know what's wrong and right.
It's amazing these parents call themselfs "parents" That poor girl wasn't even fighting back.... she just wanted to leave. For the people who watch this just think about your daughter or sister. Oh believe me though if it were they're own child getting beat up... All hell would go loose right?? How funny is that.
Ok ladies and gents real talk to all, we all play a part in this internet travesty its a shame that it takes a video like this for us to get all shook up for a few days. I'm including myself in this by the way. Were all to blame in this for not protesting and forcing our politicians to draw some lines to this internet. I rarely browse it because the things out there are just pure evil entertainment. I can't get how you tube and my space and other internet giants are able to post these kind of offenses and we view it as entertainment. We all are the motivation behind these videos! I'm deeply saddened and my heart cries out to the families of the victim and I pray for my neice who is 7years old and will shortly be amongst this internet craze. What did we do before internet? Nobody knows because we are so ingulfed in the internet that it takes over the way we view beatings and flat out criminal activity. All I can say about the girls who acted out this type of hanious crime and displayed such disregard for human life is there is something called Karma that is real! Not only that I hope they ask for forgiveness from God which he will do, but unfortunately for them you still have to suffer the consequences of your actions.
Pls guys don't promote internet violence its not worth it and those who suffer the most is the star of the video whose taking this abuse for cheap evil entertainment.
peace one love
human life is real! and Karma is a Bitch
under age or not, they All should be put in Jail, because i didnt see any of them try an stop it.What a bunch of little skanks to lure the girl there to beat the hell out of her. I tell you this if that was my daughter, every 1 that was invovled would dam sure be looking over there shoulder, for a very veryyyyyy long time. Bottom line they want to act like gangster's dam sure treat them like gangster's, a good year in jail being some one's little bitch might get the point across that there just punk ass little skanks.
i heard she deserved it.
omgggg! this makes me sooo sick!!! & i cant stop thinking about it! i wish i knew victoria personally! bring all 6 of those girls & both boys to miami! they will get the shit beat out of themmmm!! especailly brittini hardcastle she think she such a fucking badass! victoria is 20 times smaller than her fat nasty ass! April too! you notice they didnt try nobody their size cause they not as bad as they act!