NEW YORK — Four of the five teen boys accused by the NYPD of gang-raping an 18-year-old woman at gunpoint will be set free.
Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson said they are not yet ready to indict the teens. “Because we are determined to get to the truth about what happened in that park, we need more time to investigate this complex case and gather more evidence. So, therefore, we have consented to the defendants’ release,” Thompson told NBC New York.
Denzel Murray, 14; Shaquell Cooper and Ethan Phillip, both 15; and 17-year-old Onandi Brown claim the act was consensual. According to the Daily Mail, the boys allege they saw the girl’s own intoxicated father having sex with the woman that night too.
Defense lawyers say a video shows the half-naked woman smiling and laughing during the alleged rape. The 10-second cell phone video was allegedly recorded by a brother of one of the accused attackers. The investigation is ongoing. The DA has six months to indict the suspects.
Initial NYPD report: On Thursday, January 7, 2016, at 9:10 p.m., the victim, a 18-year-old female, was with her father inside Osborne park, in the vicinity of Lott Avenue and Osborne Street, when they were approached by five black males, one of whom was armed with a gun. The male with the gun pointed it at them and told the father to leave the area. The father complied and each one of the five suspects raped the victim. The father returned a short time later with two uniformed police officers and the suspects fled the location. The victim was removed to Kings County Hospital where she was treated and released.
(Photo courtesy Daily Mail)
