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New Video Documents More of Beating
Footage may show the start of the infamous attack on a Mulberry teen.
Last Modified: Friday, May 16, 2008 at 8:59 a.m.
- Videotaped Beatings
- Video: Sheriff Discusses the Beating
- Video: Beaten Teen's Parents Speak Out
- Video: Beating Suspects - First Appearance
- Audio: 911 Call from Video Taped Beating Case
- Affidavits - Teenagers Charged as Adults
- Affidavits - Teenagers Charged as Juveniles
- Gag Order Documents
- Photo Gallery: Beating Case Court Appearances
- Victoria Lindsay's Statement
- Witness' Statement
- Suspects' and Victim's Statement
- House Arrest Lifted for Beating-Case Teen
- Teens' Interviews Shed More Light on Beating Case
- Judge Grants Beating-Case Teen More Freedom as She Awaits Trial
- Defendant Names Aggressors in Videotaped Beating
- 3 Cleared In Beating Incident
- Charges Dropped Against Three in Teen Beating
- Suspect in Beating Must Keep Mum on Case
- Teen Beating Suspect Can Get Job, But Can't Talk
- Suspect Wants to Discuss Beating
- New Video in Teen Beating Case
- Beating Suspects Given More Freedom
- MySpace Profile In Beating Case - Whose Is It?
- 7 Beating Suspects Plead Not Guilty
- Some Lawyers in Beating Case Speaking Out
- Circuit Judge Vacates Gag Order
click to enlargeBARTOW | The purple bruises around Victoria Lindsay's eyes show a glimpse of the damage done to the 17-year-old former Mulberry High cheerleader following her infamous videotaped pummeling.
Prosecutors released new footage and photographs Thursday in the controversial case that has sparked national media attention.
Six teenage girls are accused of filming the March 30 beating of Lindsay and threatening to post it on MySpace and YouTube. Two boys are accused of serving as lookouts. Sheriff Grady Judd has said the girls "lured" Lindsay to the home for the purpose of filming the attack.
The recently released videos and photographs came in the discovery phase of the case, in which the prosecution must share its information with the defense.
The Polk County Sheriff's Office previously released a clip that lasts about three minutes and shows some of the attack. The three new clips run about seven minutes, and one appears to capture the first blows.
In the video, some girls are interrogating Lindsay about who she has had sex with, and accusing her of trash talking over the telephone and online.
"You want to talk over the phone," one girl shouts at Lindsay. "You want to talk over the computer. So now is the time to talk to my face."
"I'm telling you right now that I was drunk and it was stupid and I've grown up since then," Lindsay says.
"You haven't," the girl says. "You really haven't."
A few moments later as they continue to argue, the girl suddenly swings her right hand, striking Lindsay's face. Lindsay falls on the bed, and the girl is on top of her, punching rapidly. She manages to get up and retreats into a dark living room where the shouting continues.
Lindsay asks for a cellular phone and indicates the attack was "planned."
A girl not visible because of the darkness inside the room questions Lindsay about whether she was told to leave.
"Someone just give me a phone," Lindsay says, crying. "I will leave if you all hate me. That's fine. I'll leave."
"We all do - so go," one girl replies.
"I need a phone," Lindsay says. "I have nowhere to go."
"Someone get her a phone," a girl says. "You brought this all on yourself, honey. All of it. It's no one's fault but yours."
After a few more moments as the yelling continues, it appears someone near the video camera suggests turning on some light, perhaps to better capture the events unfolding. A lamp comes on, illuminating the room.
Lindsay told detectives in a taped statement that after the beating she was packing her belongings and Britini Hardcastle came in with a camera to take a picture of the "aftermath."
One photograph released shows a hand in the left lower corner holding what looks like a cellular phone.
After the beating, Lindsay was taken to the hospital where she was treated "for a concussion, damage to her left eye and left ear, and numerous bruises," an arrest report states.
Other photographs released Thursday show Lindsay, dressed in different clothing than on the video, sporting black eyes and slight bruising on her legs and arms. Investigative reports state a detective took pictures of Lindsay's injuries on April 2.
Gloria Allred, a California lawyer who represents Lindsay, said Lindsay is being home schooled and is looking forward to graduating soon. Her birthday was Tuesday.
"She is doing as well as she can be under the circumstances," Allred said. "She is still under the care of a doctor. Obviously, this would be traumatic to anyone."
Each of the eight teenage defendants faces battery and kidnapping charges.
The girls arrested are Mercades Nichols, 17, April Cooper, 14, Brittany Mayes, 17, Kayla Hassall, 15, Brittini Hardcastle, 17, and Cara Murphy, 16.
Nichols, Mayes and Hardcastle also face a charge of tampering with a witness.
Zachary Ashley, 17, and Stephen Schumaker, 18, are accused of serving as lookouts outside the house during the incident.
Schumaker is back in jail. He was charged with driving with a suspended license, and booked into the Polk County Jail on Tuesday, jail records show.
Jason Geary can be reached at jason.geary@theledger.com or 863-802-7536.
Comments
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May 16, 2008 3:30:23 am
RE: Read the article
This case will go on for a long time after the state has concluded it's frackacy with making all the plea deals with an unsavory outcome to the victim. As interesting and outraging as it's been so far the real drama won't begin until the civil trials begin where each and every one of those involved will face law suits, even if they are found not guilty of criminal charges. The simple truth is that had they not been there none of this would have happened and that makes them at least somewhat liable. Got to love the blood sucking lawyers.No offense Bold.
May 16, 2008 3:43:45 am
Mmmph...glrbl...smmf...
Excuse me, it was rude to try and post with pieces of puppykitten calzone still in my mouth...let me wash it down with a nice tall glass of baby's blood. Ahh...that's better.
Don't sweat it mill, no offense taken.
Posterity: you will never know how much it has cost my generation to preserve your freedom. I hope you will make good use of it.
John Quincy Adams
May 16, 2008 3:55:22 am
Thanks Bold my friend. You seem to always make my day with post like that. Have a good Friday and better weekend.
May 16, 2008 4:18:35 am
Same to you. I do have to confess some degree of bewilderment in this case.
Did the Sheriff say that the girls threatened to release these videos on Youtube? That would be horrible. What kind of foul mind would think to release a video of a girl being beaten knowing full well that a public place like Youtube...**cough, cough,or the ledger,cough, cough** would be such a public forum as to make it next to impossible for this girl to escape it?
I hope to God no one videotapes a rape anytime soon.
Posterity: you will never know how much it has cost my generation to preserve your freedom. I hope you will make good use of it.
John Quincy Adams
May 16, 2008 4:34:52 am
So, how long is this dead horse going to continue to get beaten?
You measure democracy by the freedom it gives its dissidents, not the freedom it gives its assimilated conformists -- Abbie Hoffman
May 16, 2008 4:59:33 am
Shoot Ivan, this is just getting rolling. Anglo Freeland lasted alot longer than this. Remember?
May 16, 2008 5:20:36 am
bet you'd feel differently if Victoria Lindsey was your daughter...
May 16, 2008 5:21:24 am
We've heard virtually nothing from Victoria Lindsay the victim in the premeditated assault. I hope she's okay. But now with new photos of her after the beating being released and an impending trial this summer she won't be able to put this behind her anytime soon.
As for the outrageous price of gas everyone I know complains about it on a daily basis. And it gets a alot of coverage in the media. But sadly not much is being done about it.
May 16, 2008 5:31:07 am
I hate to state the obvious but it seems like a lot more yelling went on than beating. The sherf and his reporter minions made it sound like 30 continuous minutes of pummeling. Looks more like a teeny bopper cat-fight to me.
May 16, 2008 5:40:30 am
Take the video down. These are real people not actors. Why is the media perpetuating this beating?
May 16, 2008 5:43:47 am
This is the most ridiculous case I've ever heard of. It's sad to see how The Lakeland Ledger has stooped to such tabloid journalism. What you have is a couple of high school kids getting into a fight with one of them getting a black eye. I spent 20-years in Radio and Television. This is what now passes for news? Edward R. Murrow is turning over in his grave.
May 16, 2008 5:43:57 am
Sadly, I suspect you're right.
You measure democracy by the freedom it gives its dissidents, not the freedom it gives its assimilated conformists -- Abbie Hoffman
May 16, 2008 6:13:25 am
Considering the rapid demise of newspapers today, it really should be no surprise.
May 16, 2008 6:18:05 am
I don't want to sound insensative but here go. When I frist heard about the girls gone wild, I thought this girl was black and blue all over. The pictures I see is not as bad, but bad enough. You have girls basically fighting over who had sex with who. All these girls need a lesson in sex education, self respect, self control, self obedient. These girls gone wild has mess up there education, parents checking account, house mortage, not to mention the embrassment over there children acting like a bunch of wild wolves.
In the Words Of Rodney King ( can we all just get along)
May 16, 2008 6:33:08 am
If my kid had been one of the ones arrested for this barbaric act s/he would have still been sitting in jail and never would have been welcomed back home.
All of them are animals and need to be caged.
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