Posted on 04/12/2008 11:50:59 AM PDT by stainlessbanner
BARTOW, Fla. -- One of eight teens accused of taking part in the notorious videotaped "animalistic" beating of another Central Florida teen snickered while a judge issued bail on Friday.
April Cooper, 14, giggled and attempted to hold in her laughter as she was told that she was being held on $36,000 bond, Local 6 News reported. It's not known why Cooper giggled.
A judge set bails ranging from $30,000 to $37,000 for each during their first court appearances.
They also were ordered to stay away from their high school and Internet social networking sites, such as MySpace. The judge also ordered them not to have any contact with the victim or each other.
The accused range in age from 14 to 18. The state attorney's office said all will be tried as adults on charges that include kidnapping.
The judge has ordered everyone involved in the case not to talk to the media. Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd called the incident "animalistic" attack when he released the video on Monday.
The videotape of the beating has been viewed widely on national TV and the Internet this week.
Families Seek Protection
Families of the teens accused in the beating have received death threats from across the country after their addresses and phone numbers were posted on the Internet, inside a YouTube video.
The new YouTube video calls out for the public to take action, saying, "let your voices be heard."
The video then posts the girls' names, their phone numbers, addresses and other information.
Local 6 reported that some of the families have spoken with deputies about the possibility of getting protection for their safety.
The six girls are accused of luring Victoria Lindsay to a home so they could videotape her beating over some apparent online "trash talk."
Stephen Schumaker and Zachary Ashley are accused of acting as lookouts during the attack.
Schumaker, the only one of the eight arrested to be released from jail, told Local 6 that his family is receiving death threats from all over the United States.
"I don't see why I'm even in this whole situation," Schumaker said in an interview for Local 6.
The videotaped beating was seen by more than 500,000 people as of Thursday night and prompted e-mails to Local6.com from all over the country.
It was the most-viewed video on YouTube at one point Thursday, Local 6 reported.
Wrong Information Posted Online
Meanwhile, an innocent family was targeted by angry callers after their information was mistakenly posted online.
The couple said they got around 300 angr
y, abusive calls from all over the country Wednesday.
She will be, as they say, laughing on the other side of her face. What a steep price to pay for trying to be “cool.”
When I said I don’t think they knew what they were doing, I meant they had no idea what the consequences could really be, because everyone on TV gets away with it, and people get up and walk away from what would normally kill someone.
Teens have no idea what long term injury and disability is (everyone on TV is happy to be in a wheelchair, and if they aren’t, a nice doctor will help them see the light, right?) Pretty blond girls aren’t sent to prison. Paris did what, a few hours in jail?
They have no idea how the system really comes down on you, and how people don’t recover from being beaten - ever.
There was a cop shot today “in the jaw” and the news just brushed it off. There’s no recognition of the disability involved. It’s like, well he didn’t die so he must be fine. Teens don’t understand illness. If they didn’t mean to kill her (perhaps they did, I don’t know) I wouldn’t be surprised if they just expected her to have a black eye for a few days.
You are wrong.
Not just the girls, but the boys also, are totally lacking the quality of empathy. THAT IS EVIL!
How can you watch that happen to another human being and not have empathy? You seem to only have empathy for the perpetrators - and that is exactly what is wrong with our country.
I wish we had an agreement with Saudi Arabia - we’ll take your high priced oil but you have to take the likes of this scum off our hands. A fitting punishment would be to drop these girls in downtown Riyadh with their heads and arms uncovered. Until that happens, we need to bring back stocks in the town square.
14 Year old Girls.
Get a grip.
What if your teenage girl had her rebellious issues and joined some stupid gang and beat up a kid?
Will you be in favor of life sentence then? For her being so evil?
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This sort of dovetails your argument but in a different direction. When my son was approximately 15 he shoved a boy into a locker at school. The reason, the boy had insulted or harassed a girl, and my kid stuck up for her. He got sent to the principal’s office and was suspended for the day due to his actions, even if it was in defense of another student.
I think the point I’m trying to make is that there is a wealth of difference in types of violence and why kids behave as they do. These girls, and I don’t care if they were 14 or 24, knew what they were doing. They had a chance to stop when the victim passed out and chose to continue with the beating. What they did deserves punishment with all being held accountable to the laws in Florida. If that means jail time, then they need to serve it.
I didn’t like it when my son was suspended for the day. (He was protecting a girl who was picked on by someone bigger and stronger), but he was made to be held responsible for his actions. These girls deserve no less, age 14 or not.
The Tampa paper reported yesterday that the victim has hearing loss in her left ear and vision problems in one of her eyes. Time will tell if she recovers from either of those, if she doesn’t have additional brain damage, not to mention if she isn’t a bit scarred psychologically from the gangsta beating she survived.
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The families of these girls need to pay financially for this the rest of their lives. The victim sounds as if she will suffer these injuries permanently.
I think the point I’m trying to make is that there is a wealth of difference in types of violence and why kids behave as they do. These girls, and I don’t care if they were 14 or 24, knew what they were doing. They had a chance to stop when the victim passed out and chose to continue with the beating. What they did deserves punishment with all being held accountable to the laws in Florida. If that means jail time, then they need to serve it.
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To All:
I want to make the above statement stronger. It sounds like oatmeal mush upon re-reading.
Those girls chose to beat a girl unconscious and then to continue the beating. That’s disgusting and yes, evil. They knew right from wrong and made a choice. Whatever Florida sentences them to, they deserve. Their victim is already serving her sentence, both phyically and psychologically. Where is her justice?
To the extent that you don't think this is evil, yes. Do you even care what justification these young criminals used for their attack?
Do you think abortion is evil? How many millions of unborn babies would it take to convince you that a holocaust is happening NOW? Do you not think that the cheaping of life that is abortion has an effect on our children?
“If they are “evil” then what category does Hitler fit in? Or are these kids at par in evildom with him?”
There is only one magnitude of evil. Don’t confuse what some do or get away with as ‘greater’ evil. The only necessary step any of us need take on the road to evil is one: placing ourselvs at the moral center of the universe. This is why it is so easy to go down that road. The difference between Adolph Hitler and these girls is that Hitler was vastly smarter, far angrier and massivly ambitious.
And the difference between these girls and Hitler's typical supporter is ... nothing.
I would like to think I did. I have faith in my three sons. My daughter? I just don’t know. She tends to lean liberal on ideals like abortion, euthanasia, etc. and is constantly debating all things conservative (at 15 and in spite of being raised in a very conservative home). Hopefully it’s just a phase and she’ll come through should I ever need her.
Now why in the hell would he do something stupid like that?
Liberalism. That's what happened. Political correctness, too.
Ratings.
Well I hope for ratings sake he can figure out the dynamics as to why these female ghouls did what they did and when he’s finished, then let them lock her up.
These girls, and I don’t care if they were 14 or 24, knew what they were doing. They had a chance to stop when the victim passed out and chose to continue with the beating. What they did deserves punishment with all being held accountable to the laws in Florida. If that means jail time, then they need to serve it.
I agree completely, 100%, with your statements.
Another thing that I find reprehensible is that out of all these 8 thugs, several of whom had cell-phones, not ONE of them called 9-1-1. Not ONE of them chose to intervene, to help the victim.
To The_Republican:
The six girls are April Cooper, 14; Brittany Mayes, 17; Kayla Hassell, 15; Brittini Hardcastle, 17; Cara Murphy, 16, and Mercades Nichols, 17. Two boys, Zachary Ashley, 17, and Stephen Schumaker, 18, are accused of acting as lookouts during the attack.
These were not 'a bunch of 14 year old girls' as you've asserted. The youngest two co-conspirators, ages 14 and 15, have been charged as adults with as much responsibility as their older peers at this point. They deserve everything the State imposes.
FYI: Original Affidavits - Teenagers Charged as Juveniles
Reading the Arrest Affidavits one can understand why they were upgraded to Adult charges.
The parents should all be investigated as well. If these kids are this amoral and violent, what is going on in the home? Minimally I would guess ‘child neglect’? What else, drugs? Probably at least a few single moms with possibly deadbeat or abusive boyfriends?
Even if no crimes were committed by parents, they clearly are not supervising their kids, how can a person even think of acting so cruelly violent unless exposed to tons of TV, internet and other violence? Aren’t parents to blame when there is no integrity, accountability or morality in the home.
Maybe they are just selfish, stupid people, and no charges can be brought.....but mandatory counseling, and (dare I say it) CHURCH attendance at a place of their choice, should be ordered by the judge for the PARENTS of all 8 kids.
/snip/
The Dr. Phil show confirmed in a statement Saturday that they did pay Nichols' bail, but said doing so breached the show's guidelines. The statement said that the show would no longer go forward with the story.
"In this case, certain staff members went beyond our guidelines (re the bail being paid). These staff members have been spoken to and our policies reiterated. In addition, we have decided not to go forward with the story as our guidelines have been compromised," the statement read.
* Includes video of Dr. Phil Producer
It's where good little Democrats come from...
www.wftv.com
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