A 15-year-old boy wanted in connection with the gang rape of a 15-year-old girl that was broadcast on Facebook Live has turned himself in, police confirmed Monday, making him the second juvenile to be arrested in the case.
According to USA Today, the boy was accompanied by his mother when he turned himself in and was questioned by investigators. Police had said Sunday that they had an arrest warrant out for the teen and were searching for him.
Over the weekend, another suspect, a 14-year-old boy, was also arrested in connection with the assault of the 15-year-old girl by several juveniles and at least one man.
Both teens face charges of aggravated criminal assault, manufacturing and dissemination of child pornography, and will be prosecuted within the state’s juvenile court system.
“The victim knew one of the offenders,” Chicago Police Cmdr. Brendan Deenihan told reporters Sunday. “I don’t want to go too much into detail, but I’m going to say she was lured into the residence, and then from there, she was not allowed to leave and she didn’t consent to what occurred.”
It is believed that five or six individuals took part in the horrible attack against the teen girl; however, investigators have declined to comment on how many individuals they are still looking for.
After the attack, the girl and her relatives faced online taunts and harassing messages, but authorities said charges could not be filed against those people because no specific threats were made. USA Today also reports that it may also be difficult to pursue charges against the people who watched the Facebook Live video of the attack—an estimated 40 individuals—saying that prosecutors would have to prove that those who watched the assault knew the victim was a minor and that they were in control of their account at the time of the incident.
Read more at USA Today.
DISCUSSION
The more details that emerge the more layers of awful pop out. I’m nervous the instinct will be to protect the rapists due to their age. I really hope the jury and prosecutors can keep the victim in mind.