Home > Murder > Attempted Murder > Jury Selection Begins In Michael Brewer Burning Trial

Jury Selection Begins In Michael Brewer Burning Trial

June 1, 2012 at 12:43 pm by Morbid

DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla – It’s been almost three years since we first reported on Michael Brewer, the then 15-year-old boy who was set on fire by three teens over a $40 debt. A lot has happened since then, but jury selection has started for one of the accused who decided not to take a plea.

For those of you unfamiliar with the story, and don’t feel like clicking the above link, here’s a quick synopsis.

Brewer allegedly had not paid 15-year-old Matthew Bent $40 for a video game. To re-coup his losses, Bent tried stealing a $500 custom bicycle off the Brewer’s front porch. He was caught in the act and arrested.

The following day, Bent and two other 15-year-olds, Denver Jarvis and Jesus Mendez, found Brewer skipping school at an apartment complex. Bent allegedly ordered Jarvis to pour a bottle of rubbing alcohol on Brent, which he did. Mendez then used a lighter to set Brewer on fire.

Engulfed in flames, Brewer ran and jumped into the apartment complex’s swimming pool. Residents came out to help Brewer, who was in extreme pain — as evident by the horrific 911 call. Brewer suffered second and third-degree burns to 2/3 of his body. Shortly after he was airlifted to the hospital, reports were that no one was sure he would even survive.

In an impressive move, Brewer did survive and was released from the burn unit two months later and just in time for Christmas.

Both Jarvis and Mendez pleaded no contest to attempted murder charges in February. Jarvis was sentenced to eight years in prison and more than two decades on probation for pouring the alcohol, while Mendez received 11 years in prison for setting Brewer on fire.

Bent was expected to take a plea as well, but at the last minute he dropped the Broward Public Defender’s Office from the case and hired private attorneys, deciding to take his chance with a jury. After all, he didn’t pour the alcohol nor did he flick the lighter.

Prosecutors will state they have a statement from Jarvis in which he says Bent ordered him to pour the rubbing alcohol on Brewer, but Bent denies that.

“It’s a travesty that Matthew Bent has been charged with attempted murder when there’s no evidence he ever directed anybody to set this boy on fire,” said Johnny McCray, one of Bent’s lawyers.

Both Jarvis and Mendez are expected to testify at Bent’s trial, but it’s anyone’s guess as to what they will say. Brewer can’t give any insight on this particular detail, as he doesn’t remember much about the incident.

Bent was in court as potential, impartial jurors were called the other day, a process that his lawyer noted will be tough. Jury selection continued today, and will resume next Thursday. If he’s convicted of second-degree attempted murder, Bent could go to prison for 30 years.

Tags: Attempted Murder, Burning, Denver Jarvis, fire, Florida, Jesus Mendez, Matthew bent, Michael Brewer

43 Comments

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Coyote

No matter what punishment he gets, it will never amount to
the pain and suffering that Michael has endured.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Togoodtobetru-Hollis/100001718230989 Togoodtobetru Hollis

these evil little bastards need to be locked up for a good long time. setting ppl on fire? wtf.
newstarshipsmell

Oh, thanks a lot Matthew for not owning up to what you did and wasting our taxes on a jury trial. I hope they give you the maximum sentence.
http://talkinshitwithshannieandboo.blogspot.com/ BooKat

Oh, I totally remember this! I can’t believe that little asshole didn’t take a plea…
sugarpie

I hope it does NOT work out for him. No mercy.
Athena

I’m satisfied with the sentences for the other two. As for Bent? This is a hell of a gamble, one that I do not expect to play out favorably for him… nor should it.
lespacino

The travesty is that even if convicted, this guy will walk out of prison one day, while relatively young. Then, he can go on to lead a full, shitty, people-torturing life. I expect we’ll see this piece of shit here again for future crimes against people.
sherrdbw

This little prick needs to serve every day of the 30 yrs and then be on probation for the rest of his life.
JohnQknowitall

At 7 years old, at 10 years old, at 15 years old, at 25 years old and even now I would not/will not suggest anything so cruel as to set someone on file. I really wish I could muster some sympathy for the young criminals, but I really an indifferent to what happens to any of the three.
Texas Ranger

Its Florida, the jurors appear to need insurmountable proof to come back with a guilty ( Caylee anyone?) Or at least a notorized, dated, pcture of him doing it.
Matt Morace

What a bunch of assholes. That’s all I got.
JGo555

Naming your child a Place does not mean he/she WILL go to places in life.

NAMING YOUR CHILD LIKE GOD is a monumental FAIL when your ass doesn’t discipline him. You could’ve always changed his name so you wouldn’t feel bad for disciplining GOD, but I guess your ass was lazy then & lazy now.
Athena

With all due respect, Mr. Ranger, insurmountable proof is is kinda the whole point of trials, burden of proof, etc. Prosecutors are supposed to prove the accused guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If you’ve got a body, but you can’t say how or even when than person died, you’ve got a whole lot of reasonable doubt right there.

The Anthony jurors did the right thing. Sometimes, following the rules put in place to protect the innocent will make it difficult to convict the guilty. There’s little we can do about that without risking an increase in wrongful convictions.
Heather_Habilatory

THANK YOU. If one more person talks smack about the Caylee trial, I think I’m gonna start lighting people on fire.

They couldn’t tell how she died. That puts up a LOT of reasonable doubt. Sorry. Those are the rules. Stop crying about it already.
Heather_Habilatory

Oh, he didn’t tell other people to light the kid on fire? He just happened to be there, this kid he was already harassing (with proof from police) winds up on fire, and his delinquent little ass had NOTHING to do with it?

HAHAHAHAHA. Good luck with that defense.
Texas Ranger

Actually you proved my point that I apparently was awful at making above. They have only a statement from a convict that he was ordered to pour the alcohol on him….the victim doesn’t even remember …that wouldn’t be enough for ME to convict…. the Caylee part was to get ya’lls blood pressure up, looks like it worked. Ease up ladies, please.
newstarshipsmell

“NAMING YOUR CHILD LIKE GOD is a monumental FAIL” – especially when it’s pronounced “HEY ZEUS” which just sounds downright sacrilegious.
EveryVillainIsLemons

I’m never going to be able to get Brewer’s screams on that 911 call out of my head. That merciless little dumbfuck needs to be out of society as long as possible.

And what the fuck is wrong with that dumbass 911 dispatcher? Seriously, I want to punch him.
Heather_Habilatory

They use statements from convicts on the daily to convict other convicts.

No one is going to believe him. I can not believe his defense is letting him go to trial.
Wildheart

Thank god I didn’t listen to it.
Texas Ranger

True, but the victim doesn’t remember hearing that, the kid jarvis acted on his own free will to do it, so I say his statement is bullshit. Fuck, if only ONE person would do what I told them to do in this world, they would be the first. Bent won’t last long in this world with the attitude he’s got. dead before 25 I am going to predict, and thats taking into account the time he is spending in custody.
Athena

It sounds like both of his cohorts have agreed to testify against him. Combine that with the fact that Bent is the one who had the beef with the victim, so much so that he was already arrested once while retaliating against the unpaid debt, and it sounds like a fairly solid case. Perhaps not on attempted murder, though. There may be a conspiracy charge thrown in there, though, just in case.
FrikkenFrak

THREE YEARS?????!!!!!!!?????

I get needing to prepare your case and delays, etc. BUT THREE YEARS!!???!!!!!
FrikkenFrak

I didn’t either. But thank you, Lemons for the heads up so I DON’T.
FrikkenFrak

OH MAN….lol
http://www.dreamindemon.com Morbid

Actually, a statement given to police immediately upon arrest is a pretty solid one, no matter what he may say after he was arrested and convicted. In Jarvis’ case, he told police during his initial interview that Bent told him to pour the rubbing alcohol on Brewer. Bent told police that while Brewer did owe him money, he was set on fire by Mendez because Brewer owed Mendez money for marijuana.

Of course there is no record, from anyone at all involved, that Brewer owed Mendez anything, but a lot that suggest Bent was the only one who had a beef with Brewer. But if I were on the jury, I would still have a hard time convicting Bent of second-degree only because of a conversation recorded in an interrogation room between Bent and Jarvis when they were alone with each other:

“Why would Junior [Mendez] do that?” Bent asked Jarvis. “Why would he set someone on fire?”"I swear I did not try to kill cuz [Brewer], bro,” Jarvis said.

“I was just gonna throw it on cuz and walk away… That n—– dies, man, that’s blood on my hands and Junior’s hands.”

So as you see, Jarvis does not implicate Bent, but does admit that if Brewer dies, he and Mendez were the only ones who were going to be in trouble. Of course they may have known they were being recorded, but even still, kinda odd that Jarvis would only implicate himself and Mendez.

His decision to go to trial may have been the best decision this guy could have ever made.
Athena

Interesting. I wasn’t aware of that. That changes things hugely.
http://www.dreamindemon.com Morbid

Yeah, it does. Which sucks because Bent is the one who initiated everything, So while I may not go with attempted murder, I would charge him with something lesser if it were an option. Who knows, maybe the prosecutors have more that they are not revealing to the press at this time. I mean, Jarvis made the statement that he never meant for Brewer to be set on fire, and yet HE took a plea anyway.
Athena

I think a conspiracy charge would be good, if either of the other two can say this was discussed on some level prior to the event. You don’t have to be proven guilty of anything more than talking about it, and it can carry a sentence equivalent to murder (or attempted murder, in this case). Let’s hope the prosecution has a solid game plan.
ViewerBeware

Stick this fucker overnight in the black dominated part of the jail and tell the trustees of what he did. My guess is he would be in flames shortly after.
http://www.facebook.com/HelleCat Maggie West

Not surprising at all actually, it took a year and a half for the jury trial my abuser insisted on to be brought to court.
RydoLarsson

BURN BABY BURN !!!
Babydoll0630

Sorry, he was a thief and possible burglar……it escelates. He was skipping school to steal……….how did the fire shower feel future frequenter of DD?
Babydoll0630

OMG!! So you agree with Florida’s decision to let that liar free. Well, nvm. Guess that explains a lot.
Babydoll0630

Don’t care. If I were on that jury that betch would be in prison. OBVIOUS she killed her child. FVCK those rules. And, FVCK Florida.
Siobhan

The State of Florida made no such decision; 12 jurors weeded from thousands via voir dire voted not guilty, and most stated afterwords that they felt she was guilty, but the prosecution had not presented sufficient evidence to convict.

If wishes were promises you’d have only hung the jury, and by doing so, would have also created a less than favorable domino effect:
1.) Given her defense even more time to prep for the prosecution’s case, which they now know every nuance of, when the State retries the case……which would lead to…..
2.) Improving the defense’s chances of winning NG verdict……which would lead to…………
3.) More face/drama and/or violence for/from/towards the Anthony family…….which would lead to…..
4.) Costing the tax paying residents millions that they simply can not afford.
Siobhan

“Sorry, he was a thief and possible burglar……it escelates. He was
skipping school to steal……….how did the fire shower feel future
frequenter of DD?”

You’re blaming the victim erroneously.
Reread the story, pay close attention to the names of the individuals involved.

Advocating the immolation of a teen as punishment for theft?
Please do the medical/nursing field a tremendous favor and change your future career to something
that doesn’t require humaneness or empathy.
Heather_Habilatory

I know she’s guilty as hell.

But LEGALLY it couldn’t be proven. It’s tough to prove willful murder when you don’t even know how someone died.

I like how you were all ready to make up in a previous post and now you’re ready to condemn me again. Your bi-polar disorder is cute. But may I suggest you try it on someone who gives a flying fuck what complete strangers think of them.
onlyme356

Manson “directed” people to do the dirty work and he’s now in prison for life. Hitler “directed” people to kill thousands of Jews and is responsible for the Holocaust. This kid didn’t have to do the pouring or the lighting to be guilty. He’s a sick little bastard who dealt with the situaiton in a completely messed up manner and it almost led to someone’s death.
onlyme356

The kid who was burned was white.
Iris_Wildthyme

If he’s only 15 and setting fire to people, what in the actual fuck will he be doing by the time he’s an adult? Probably chopping people up and putting the videos on YouTube! LIFE SENTENCE PLEASE >:-|
whisperswing

Michael Brewer at Burning Trial: “I Felt Like I Was Going To Die”
Michael Brewer testified Thursday that he thought he would die when he was pulled from a pool after he was set on fire at a Deerfield Beach apartment complex in 2009.
Brewer said he remembered the attack on Oct. 12, 2009. He recalled a cold liquid going down his back before the burning sensation started.
“I started running towards the pool and then I jumped a fence and dove toward the swimming pool,” he said.
Brewer said he remembered a woman and someone else pulling him from the pool and seeing skin hanging down from his arms.
“I felt like I was going to die,” he said.
They put him in a lawn chair and told him everything was going to be OK as he started feeling very cold, Brewer said.
“I was in tons of pain,” he said, his right wrist shaking as he spoke.
Brewer took the stand Thursday afternoon in the trial of Matthew Bent, 17, one of the teens charged in the infamous burning of his classmate, who was 15 at the time of the attack.
Bent is charged with attempted second-degree murder. He faces 30 years behind bars.
Prosecutors say Bent was the ringleader of the attack, persuading two other teens to pour alcohol on Brewer and set him on fire after a dispute over money Bent claimed Brewer owed him.
[...]
http://www.nbcmiami.com/news/Michael-Brewer-Expected-to-Testify-Thursday-at-Burning-Trial-159049035.html
http://www.facebook.com/Leashaness Alicia Lynee’

That’s sad that the justice system only sees that boy’s life worth 8-11 years. He is scarred physically AND mentally for LIFE.