GUILTY FL - Five teens for video beating of 16yo girl, Highland City, 2008

[JBean]

Okie Dokie, these attorneys really went to law school and passed a bar exam? They are wanting their clients to talk? They want their clients case tried in the media and in the court of public opinion? Ok, then. By all means, let them run their mouths and dig a deeper hole.

It is kind of interesting that the lawyers are now running their mouths. Never a good move IMO.
But! I will agree that I do find it interesting that they charged them all exactly the same, when I think there are clearly degress of involvement.
Does anyone else think they did this to get the kids to testify against each other? I believe that some of these kids will plead out to lesser charges and testify against each other. I think they will sing like songbirds.

 

[csds703]

It is kind of interesting that the lawyers are now running their mouths. Never a good move IMO.
But! I will agree that I do find it interesting that they charged them all exactly the same, when I think there are clearly degress of involvement.
Does anyone else think they did this to get the kids to testify against each other? I believe that some of these kids will plead out to lesser charges and testify against each other. I think they will sing like songbirds.

I think you're right about that. There definately seems to be different levels of involvement here. I feel they are using this case to set an example. What happened is disgusting and a frightening trend.

 

[TopGunner]

LQQKS like Mommy Dearest has updated her MySpace page. Now everything is HER mother's fault, and THE STATE'S fault. She and princess are innocent. <pause> I can't even comment, the words are SO out of my vocabulary.

Here ya go:

>>>Christina's Blurbs
About me:
PEOPLE PLEASE JUST FOLLOW THIS STORY, MY DAUGHTER IS NOT THE ONE WHO BEAT HER! I AM A FIRM BELIEVER IN GUILT BY ASSOCIATION BUT SHE WAS SCARED TO CALL THE POLICE OR SHE WOULD GET THE CRAP BEAT OUT OF HER. DO I BELIEVE SHE SHOULD BE SET FREE AND NOT GET ANYTHING?? NO, I THINK SHE SHOULD GET SOME TIME AS WELL. BUT DAM PEOPLE SHE IS 17 STILL HAS A TEENAGE MENTALITY,IF THIS WAS YOUR KID WHAT WOULD YOU DO? JUST SIT BACK AND LET PEOPLE THREATEN TO KILL HER. SHERRIFF JUDD GRADY IS A LIAR I HAVE CUSTODY OF MERCADES AND I WOULD NOT BE ANY KIND OF A MOTHER IF I DID HALF THE GARBAGE YOU PEOPLE ARE TELLING ME I SHOULD DO. I ACUALLY FEEL SORRY FOR YOUR KIDS IF THEY EVER MAKE A STUPID MISTAKE. I WILL SHARE THIS MUCH WITH YOU BEING THAT EVERYONE IS IN MY BUSINESS ANYWAY...I HAVE ALWAYS HAD PEOPLE INTERFERING WITH HOW I DISCIPLINE MERCADES MY MOTHER FIRST TELLING ME THAT I SHOULD NOT SPANK HER, AND OF COURSE THIS WAS SAID ALWAYS IN FRONT OF MERCADES FROM THE TIME SHE WAS MAYBE 3..WHEN SHE WAS 15 YEARS OLD HER FATHER DECIDED TO MAKE A DEBUT LIKE SOME HEREO TELLING HER " YOUR MOM IS TOO STRICT ON YOU" SHE SHOULDN'T STILL BE SPANKING YOU AT 15, SHE SHOULDN'T BE TAKING YOUR PHONE OR COMPUTER AWAY FOR 2 WEEKS AT A TIME, TEENS ARE SUPPOSE TO BE MESSY AND NOT CLEAN UP AFTER THEIRSELVES, COME LIVE WITH ME AND YOU'LL BE HAPPIER! THEN CAME THE COURT PAPERS FOR ME TO GO IN FRONT OF THE JUDGE..I WROTE THE JUDGE MYSELF PLEADING PLEASE DO NOT SEND HER OVER THERE FOR NUMEROUS REASONS THAT I WILL NOT DISCLOSE, ANYONE THAT KNOWS HIM KNOWS WHAT I AM SPEAKING OF, THE JUDGE NEVER TOOK CUSTODY FROM ME, HE SIMPLY SAID MERCADES IS OF AGE WHERE SHE GETS TO MAKE THIS CHOICE ON HER OWN AND I HAVE NO SAY SO. OF COURSE SHE SAID YES SHE WANTED TO GO LIVE WHERE SHE WAS FREE TO DO WHATEVER. THAT LASTED A WHOLE 8 MONTHS THEN THE STEP MOTHER STARTED IN ON HER AND THE DAD SAID " MY WIFE COMES FIRST" IF I HAVE TO CHOOSE, YOU CAN LEAVE" SPEAKING TO MERCADES...WELL ONE DAY SHE SMARTED OFF TO HIM AND HE PUNCHED HER RIGHT IN THE JAW, AND OF COURSE SHE CALLED MOM TO SAVE HER. AND SHE MOVED RIGHT BACK IN WITH ME. WELL, BY THAT TIME SHE WAS SET IN ALL THESE NEW RIGHTS SHE HAD AND TO BE HONEST HER AND I TO THIS DAY DO NOT SEE EYE TO EYE ON WHAT SHE SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO DO. SHE WANTED THE BOYFRIEND TO SPEND THE NIGHT HERE I SAID HELL NO!!! SHE WANTED TO STAY UP ALL NIGHT ON THE COMPUTER ON THE WEEKENDS PLAYING MUSIC LOUDLY WHILE MYSELF AND MY YOUNGEST DAUGHTER TRIED TO SLEEP, THEN SLEEP TIL 2 OR 3 IN THE AFTERNOON. THE DISCUSSION ABOUT THE BOY SLEEPING OVER HAD GOTTEN VERY HEATED HERE TO WHERE I TOLD HER IF SHE DIDN'T LIKE MY RULES GO BACK AND LIVE WITH HER FATHER. MY MOTHER THEN STEPPED IN AND SAID YOU AND HER DON'T GET ALONG..I AM HAVING SURGERY THIS MONTH LET HER COME STAY WITH ME FOR A LITTLE WHILE AND HELP ME AROUND THE HOUSE AND SHE CAN DECIDE WHERE SHE'S GOING TO LIVE..THAT WAS 6 MONTHS AGO. I HAVE NEVER LOST CUSTODY EVER!!! I STILL HAVE CUSTODY OF MERCADES. THE ONLY THING I AM GUILTY OF IS NOT HAVING THE BACK BONE TO STAND UP TO MY MOTHER AND SAY " THIS IS MY KID AND I WILL DO WHAT I SEE FIT WITH HER" I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN IN HER LIFE, NEVER LEFT. IF I WAS GONE AT ALL WHY IN THE HELL WOULD I PICK NOW TO STEP BACK IN??? HELLO?? SHE DIDN'T EXCACTLY HIT THE FRIGGIN' LOTTERY. WAKE UP PEOPLE! ONE MORE RANT AND THEN I AM DONE....I AM WILLING TO PUT MONEY ON PROBABLY HALF OF THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE WROTE SUCH HATEFUL THINGS TO ME AND ABOUT ME.... VOTED AGAINST BEING ALLOWED TO SPANK YOUR CHILD HERE IN FLORIDA! I MEAN YOU CAN'T EVEN LOOK AT A CHILD WRONG IN WALMART WITHOUT GETTING THE POLICE CALLED ON YOU, THIS IS THE SOCIETY OUR CHILDREN ARE GROWING UP IN!THEY HAVE MORE CONTROL THEN WE DO THEY TAKE THE RIGHTS OF THE PARENTS AWAY AND THEN WHEN THE KIDS GET INTO TROUBLE POINT THE FINGERS AT THE PARENTS?? MAKE UP YOUR MINDS HERE...THERE IS A BIG DAM DIFFERENCE IN SPANKING YOUR CHILD AND ABUSE..IF THERE IS A SIGN OF ABUSE THEN REMOVE THE CHILD FROM THE HOME BUT DON'T TAKE A PARENT'S RIGHT AWAY TO SPANK THEN BLAME THEM WHEN **** GOES WRONG. THIS SECTION DOES NOT IMPLY THAT MERCADES PERTICAPATED IN THE BEATING, BUT I'LL BET HAD THE STATE NOT HAD SO MUCH SAY SO AROUND HERE AND WHAT PARENTS ARE ALLOWED TO DO, I WOULD'VE BEEN CHOOSING HER FRIENDS UNTIL SHE WAS MATURE ENOUGH TO CHOOSE THEM HERSELF!<<<



http://www.myspace.com/pumpkinpie74

 

[NanaMcZoo]

What a dingle doofus. Sounds like nothing has ever been her fault. A shame, because of mom's inability to parent, the child turns into an obnoxious bully.
Way too common these days....sigh .

 

[csds703]

Mom seems a little unhinged.
I agree that teenagers can be very exhausting, but it seems that mom lost control long before the teen years. Mercedes learned how to play all the adults in her life. Unfortunately, now she is paying.

 

[golfmom]

I find her photos really bizarre. It's like she's trying to be a teenager herself.

 

[JBean]

Well if that site is for real and those are her words, no wonder Mercades is a violent criminal.

 

[panglossian]

Whoa! Something is seriously wrong here!
She sounds like an immature 16 year old herself.
She doesn't sound in writing as assertive and self assured as her interviews. This sounds like "life just bats me around" self pity. Where did Mercades get her assertive bullyng behavior from because if Mom is to be believed, it wasn't from her. I just don't trust what I hear and read from this woman.

 

[PrayersForMaura]

I don't know... I can't blame the mom. Her daughter is old enough to know right from wrong. You can be a model parent and still have bad kid and you can have a bad parent and still be a good kid.
The teenager has to bear most of the responsibility here.

 

[TopGunner]

I don't know... I can't blame the mom. Her daughter is old enough to know right from wrong. You can be a model parent and still have bad kid and you can have a bad parent and still be a good kid.
The teenager has to bear most of the responsibility here.

Hi PFM:blowkiss:

I think what's wrong with this mother, in my opinion anyway, is that she is participating in the pointing the finger game. She is not teaching her daughter to be accountable for what she's done. She's, in essence, supporting the whole thing. Another comment she made was "the girls aren't angels, but neither is the victim", clearly impylying Victoria had it coming.

She reminds me of Jackie Peterson, and look where her "attitude" got them.

If these parents don't teach these kids NOW to take responsibility and do the right thing, i.e., admit to their part in it all, and first and foremost apologize, then they're just breeding a life time of this behavior.

Shumaker's father said his son wasn't even there, it's all the Sherriff's fault for making a big deal out of it.

Again, for me personally, I think had the parents been appalled at what their children did, publicly apologized to Victoria, etc., I would actually feel sorry for all of them.

Nicohols MySpace page (this mother's daughter) said "F you all, I'd do it again."

 

[reportertype]

Does Nichols have any siblings? Lawd, I hope not ...

Garcia is clearly not a capable parent.

 

[JBean]

Does Nichols have any siblings? Lawd, I hope not ...

Garcia is clearly not a capable parent.

yes there is another daughter that is younger than mercades.

 

[dhchick04]

yes there is another daughter that is younger than mercades.

Is it just me or does she seem to favor the younger girl?

 

[Mygirlsadie]

Yes it does seem that way. She raised the other one to be the way she is and now she don't want to be bothered by it. The younger one will just follow in her footsteps probably.

Is it just me or does she seem to favor the younger girl?

 

[ceeaura]

Is it just me or does she seem to favor the younger girl?

I thought the same thing.Seems like mommy dearest gives a lot of attention to the younger daughter.Could be one of the reasons Mercedes is acting out in the extremes she is.

 

[philamena]

http://www.myfoxaustin.com/myfox/pa...n=2&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.3.1
Does MySpace Page Belong to Teen Beating Suspect?http://www.myfoxaustin.com/myfox/photo_servlet?Sheriff Discusses Teen Beating After Gag Order LiftedNew Details in Teen Beating Case ReleasedTeen Beating Victim Speaks OutTeen Beating Suspect Was Under Restraining Order911 Tape Released in Teen Beating Case
From MyFoxTampaBay Reports

BARTOW, Fla. -- Nearly two weeks ago, a judge allowed the teenage defendants involved in a videotaped beating case out on bond, but warned them to follow the court's rules -- or else.

 

[JBean]

Second Teen Pleads Not Guilty In Taped Beating Case

BARTOW, Fla. -- A second teenager accused of kidnapping and beating another girl last month pleaded not guilty on Tuesday.
http://www.nbc5.com/news/16064133/detail.html

 

[JBean]

Teens In Videotaped Beating Plead Not Guilty

BARTOW, Fla. -- The attorneys for two Polk County teenagers who are accused in a videotaped beating entered a written not guilty plea, making it unnecessary for them to appear in court as scheduled Tuesday.

The other teens accused of being involved in the beating have also entered the same plea.

http://www.wesh.com/news/16052640/detail.html

Murphy's attorney, Melodie Lopez, is speaking out.

She said all the hype surrounding the case lead to some of the suspects being unfairly charged.

"My client was there, but that pretty much ends her involvement. So, yeah, I think she was overcharged," Lopez said.

Lopez said her client was present for the beating, but according to the victim's own statement, Murphy never touched the victim. Lopez also claims Murphy did try to deescalate the situation.

"You don't see her on the tape stopping it by running in between them, but at times she verbally tried to stop the fight and she did physically at one time pull one of the other girls back, so she did make some steps to stop it from going any further," Lopez said.

Lopez said Murphy who, like the other teens is under house arrest, has moved in with her father in Pasco County because with some of the suspects receiving death threats, her family felt it would be safer.

Meantime, one of the other beating suspects, Brittany Mayes, 17, turned her back to cameras at the Polk County courthouse on Tuesday morning where she and her family mistakenly showed up for her arraignment.

 

[JBean]

This should be interesting:

The attorney representing the alleged ringleader in the beating, Mercades Nichols, said he plans to hold a news conference some time in the next few days.

 

[philamena]

I can't wait.