A young girl, just 10 years old, recently faced the court for the first time after being charged with the rape and attempted murder of a child in Ohio.
Due to her age, authorities have withheld the girl’s identity. She stands accused of assaulting a 5-year-old girl, the child of Cleveland resident Antavia Kennibrew.
Kennibrew recounted the harrowing discovery of her daughter, who was found severely injured and disfigured after leaving a relative’s home in September.
“I found my daughter unresponsive, covered in blood with her hair pulled from her scalp, bruises all over her body,” Kennibrew shared in a Facebook post.
The injuries included signs of strangulation, a large swelling on her head, and evidence suggesting she had been beaten and raped.
“I was in utter disbelief at the sight. My daughter was unrecognizable and clearly traumatized,” the distraught mother expressed.
Officials launched an investigation and charged a 10-year-old girl and a nine-year-old boy with attempted murder, rape, assault, kidnapping and strangulation.
The 10-year-old girl appeared in juvenile court on Wednesday wearing a face mask and a pink coat, and was accompanied by an unidentified woman who wore a hood over her head and walked with a cane, WOIO reported.
Antavia Kennibrew (pictured) said her five-year-old daughter was scalped and raped by a group of children in September
A 10-year-old girl and a nine-year-old boy have been charged with attempted murder, rape, assault, kidnapping and strangulation over the alleged attack, which took place near the Cleveland home (pictured) of one of the victim’s family members
Kennibrew pleaded with the judge not to be unduly lenient on the suspects because of their age on Wednesday
Kennibrew pleaded with the judge not to be unduly lenient on the suspects because of their age, according to Cleveland.com.
‘This type of behavior doesn’t deserve grace. They knew what they were doing. And they were okay with that. They even played after not caring about my baby. Remember that,’ she said.
‘[My daughter] has been going through it, and that’s how it should be for the offenders. This type of behavior doesn’t deserve grace.’
Neither the 10-year-old girl or the woman who accompanied her spoke at the hearing, but her lawyer denied the charges.
A judge placed her on home detention with an ankle monitor, noting that the girl’s parents were not at the hearing, and ordered a competency evaluation. Her next hearing is scheduled for January.
The nine-year-old boy was supposed to appear in court but did not show up. His lawyer asked for a continuance, claiming the boy’s mother’s car had broken down.
The judge rescheduled the hearing for the following week and warned that if he does not show up she will issue an arrest warrant.
Kennibrew claimed that the youngsters took her daughter ‘by her hand and walked her to a field that was far away from the residence.’
The 10-year-old girl appeared in court on Wednesday wearing a face mask and a pink coat, and was accompanied by a woman (pictured) who wore a hood over her head and walked with a cane
Kennibrew said her daughter is traumatized and is having ‘behavioral problems’ as a result of the attack
‘In that field, they beat my daughter until she was unconscious,’ she said. ‘They ripped out her hair… They also shoved sticks down her throat. They stripped her naked and strangled her with her own shirt.’
She further alleged that her daughter is having ‘behavioral problems’ as a result of the attack.
‘She is mentally not OK. Me not getting justice for my daughter makes me feel like I failed her,’ Kennibrew said.
‘I literally saw the worst thing ever! I saw my daughter unrecognizable. I couldn’t wrap my head around it.’
Kennibrew described the scene as ‘unbelievable’ and claimed that in addition to being badly beaten and scalped, her daughter was raped.
‘My daughter was not my daughter,’ she said. ‘Her hair was scalped from her head. She had bruises and blood all over her body.
‘Her eyes were filled with blood. Her lips and mouth were filled with blood. Her nails had debris and dirt stuck in it.’
The case continues.
