Eight Honor Students Receive Awards

April 7, 2008 by Morbid  

Yeah, right. Actually 8 teens are in a bit of trouble after the videotaping of a beating handed to a 16-year-old girl.

Top: Britney Mayes, Mercades Nichols, Brittini Hardcastle, April Cooper
Bottom: Cara Murphy, Kayla Hassell, Zachary Ashley, Stephen Schumaker

POLK COUNTY, Fla. – Six teen girls from Mulberry High School videotaped themselves delivering a nice beating to Victoria Lindsay, 16, in a home while two teen boys stood lookout outside. The purpose of the beating was to embarrass the girl by posting the video to Myspace and Youtube. The girl was beaten so badly she had to go to the hospital for treatment. For a detailed description of what transpired, keep reading.

Victoria Lindsay, 16, was staying at the home of Mercades Nichols, 17, during spring break. At approximately 8:00 pm, Lindsay arrived at the residence and was met by Nichols, and Brittini Hardcastle, 17, who both began yelling at Lindsay and threatening her. Lindsay went into a a bedroom and was met by April Cooper, 14, who began insulting and threatening her. Cooper, who had been hiding, then struck Lindsay several times in the face, and slammed Lindsay’s head into the bedroom wall, knocking Lindsay unconscious as others were videotaping.

When Lindsay awoke, she was on the couch in the living room surrounded by Cooper, Nichols, Hardcastle, Cara Murphy, 16, Britney Mayes, 17, and Kayla Hassell, 15. Lindsay said it was at that time that all of the suspects began hitting and yelling at her while it was being video taped. At one point in the video, it is plain to see that the suspects blocked Lindsay from leaving the residence.

During the incident, two additional suspects, Zachary Ashley, 17, and Stephen Schumaker, 18, acted as “look-outs” while the attack was occurring. After the attack was over, three of the suspects forced Lindsay into a vehicle and drove her to another location where she was finally released with a threat from the suspects warning her not to contact law enforcement or she would be beaten even worse. Once at a friend’s home, she called law enforcement and was transported to Lakeland Regional Medical Center by ambulance for injuries sustained as a result of the beating.

All of the juvenile suspects were transported to the Juvenile Assessment Center without further incident. Schumaker, who found out the difference between 17 and 18, was taken to the Polk County Jail. All suspects were charged with Felony Battery and False Imprisonment. Mayes, Hardcastle, and Nichols are the three juvenile suspects who forced Lindsay into the vehicle and drove Lindsay to another location. They are charged additionally with Felony Kidnapping.

All of this info taken directly from the Sheriff’s News Release On Arrest Of Teens In Attack.

Good luck with the Myspace hunting. I found a couple, but got a headache and quit. You can see some of the raw video here. It’s nowhere near the worse I have ever seen, but they do get a few good punches in.