A ten-year-old girl has made her first appearance in a juvenile court in Ohio, facing serious charges including rape and the attempted murder of a five-year-old child. The alleged attack, which took place in September, has sent shockwaves through the local community.
A Mother's Horrific Discovery
The victim's mother, Antavia Kennibrew, recounted the moment she found her daughter after the assault. She discovered the young girl severely injured and disfigured after the child managed to leave a family member's home in Cleveland. Ms Kennibrew described finding her daughter unresponsive, covered in blood, with her hair pulled from her scalp and her body covered in bruises.
In a heartfelt post on social media, the mother detailed the extent of the injuries, which included signs of strangulation, a large lump on the head, and evidence that the child had been beaten and raped. "I couldn’t believe what I saw in front of me. My daughter did not look like herself. She was traumatised," Kennibrew stated.
The Court Appearance and Charges
Following an investigation, officials charged a ten-year-old girl and a nine-year-old boy with a litany of offences: attempted murder, rape, assault, kidnapping, and strangulation.
The ten-year-old defendant appeared in juvenile court this week, wearing a face mask and a pink coat. She was accompanied by a woman who concealed her identity with a hood and used a cane for support. According to reports, neither the girl nor the woman accompanying her spoke during the hearing, although the girl's lawyer formally denied all charges.
The judge presiding over the case placed the girl on home detention with an ankle monitor and ordered a competency evaluation to determine her fitness to stand trial. Her next hearing is scheduled for January.
The case took another turn when the co-accused, the nine-year-old boy, failed to appear in court. His lawyer requested a continuance, claiming the boy's mother's car had broken down. The judge rescheduled the hearing for the following week, issuing a stern warning that an arrest warrant would be issued if he does not show up.
A Plea for Justice and Lasting Trauma
In a powerful statement to the court, Antavia Kennibrew pleaded with the judge not to show undue leniency towards the suspects because of their youth. "This type of behaviour doesn’t deserve grace. They knew what they were doing. And they were okay with that," she asserted. "[My daughter] has been going through it, and that’s how it should be for the offenders."
Kennibrew provided harrowing details of the alleged attack, claiming the youngsters led her daughter by the hand to a field far from the residence. There, she alleges, they beat the child until she was unconscious, ripped out her hair, shoved sticks down her throat, stripped her naked, and strangled her with her own shirt.
The long-term consequences are already evident. Kennibrew revealed that her daughter is suffering from significant behavioural problems as a result of the ordeal. "She is mentally not OK. Me not getting justice for my daughter makes me feel like I failed her," the grieving mother said, describing the scene of discovering her injured child as "unbelievable." The case continues as the community awaits further developments.
