Police: Videos show beating of 13-year-old CT girl. Kids chant ‘George Floyd’ as victim can’t breathe

Two Connecticut women and 10 juveniles are facing multiple charges after a video of a violent assault of a teen went viral, police said.

On the morning of April 30, Officer Daquan Stuckey of the New London Police Department responded to Bennie Dover Jackson Middle School for a report of a video circulating on social media.

Stuckey spoke with Assistant Principal Alicia Ross, who showed him videos a 13-year-old female student allegedly being assaulted by multiple juveniles and two adult women, according to police.

After a lengthy investigation, police learned that the alleged assault occurred around 6 p.m. on April 29 in a parking lot on Colman Street in New London.

One of the videos allegedly shows a relative of the victim, identified as 29-year-old Keosha Muriel, and a group of 10 juveniles assaulting or watching the victim be assaulted over an extended period of time, police said.

A second relative of the victim, 32-year-old Idinah Muriel, was allegedly at the scene during the incident, and investigators allege that she was involved in the planning of the assault, according to police.

According to the warrant affidavits for the two adult women, Keosha Muriel is allegedly seen on video attempting to pull the victim out of the car and telling her to apologize to another adult woman at the scene. The video reportedly shows Keosha Muriel holding the victim by her arm and sweatshirt.

Keosha Muriel is allegedly seen on video telling one of the juveniles to rip the ponytail out of the victim’s head as multiple juveniles recorded the incident and pulled her hair, according to the warrant affidavits.

The video reportedly shows Keosha Muriel then begin to hit the victim with a phone charger cable when she refuses to apologize, the warrant affidavits said. The victim is reportedly heard on the video saying “get off me” as Keosha Muriel taunts the victim saying “make me,” according to the warrant affidavits.

At this point of the video, Idinah Muriel is allegedly seen on camera watching the assault, the warrant affidavits said. As the beating with the phone charge cord continues, two juveniles are allegedly seen on the video pulling the victim out of the car onto the pavement, according to the warrant affidavits.

The video reportedly shows the two juveniles getting more aggressive with the victim, pinning her to the ground. One of the juveniles allegedly rubs his genital area on the victim’s head as the second juvenile holds her down, the warrant affidavits said.

As the victim is reportedly heard saying “get off me” the juvenile who was holding her down allegedly places his knee on her neck obstructing her airway, according to the warrant affidavits.

The juvenile is then reportedly seen on the video sitting on the victim’s chest as she telling them she can’t breathe, the warrant affidavits said. The multiple other juveniles at the scene then reportedly being chanting “George Floyd” as the juvenile on the victim’s chest allegedly spits in her face, the warrant affidavits said.

While this is happening the video allegedly shows other juveniles attempting to rip off the victim’s eyelashes, according to the warrant affidavits. The second juvenile who helped pull the victim out of the car is reportedly seen on the video pouring water on the victim’s face as she begins to cry and scream that she can’t breathe, the warrant affidavits said.

During these events, the two adult women are allegedly seen in the background of the video watching the incident take place, according to the warrant affidavits. At no point do the women attempt to stop the assault, Stuckey said.

Stuckey was able to view another video that allegedly shows the victim running toward the car as Keosha Muriel and Idinah Muriel were sitting in the driver and passenger seat of the vehicle. The video reportedly shows multiple juveniles chasing the victim, the warrant affidavits shows. Once in the car, the two juveniles who allegedly pulled her out the first time are reportedly seen on camera punching and attacking the victim as the two women make no attempts to stop the assault, according to the warrant affidavits.

The first juvenile is allegedly seen on the video putting his hands around the victim’s neck and beginning to choke her where she allegedly begins not to be able to say she can’t breathe and starts gagging, the warrant affidavits said. The juvenile allegedly says “say sorry (racial slur), don’t ever hit me” while other juveniles taunt the victim, according to the warrant affidavits.

The victim allegedly begins to fight off the juvenile for seven minutes as he begins to punch her again while other juveniles help him and close the two in the car, the warrant affidavits said.

Keosha Muriel is allegedly seen on the video laughing. The car is then reportedly seen on video driving away from the scene with the victim in a headlock, according to the warrant affidavits.

After watching the videos, Stuckey was about to leave the school to conduct a well-being check on the girls when other officers were called to the home where the victim lives for a separate incident. The victim was allegedly refusing to go to school after the alleged assault, the warrant affidavit said. As the victim arrived at the school, Stuckey was able to speak with her.

The victim was allegedly hesitant to speak with Stuckey because she claimed that one of the women involved would just “spin the story” as she allegedly had in the past and the victim would get in trouble, according to the warrant affidavits. When Stuckey let the victim know he watched the videos of the alleged assault, she reportedly opened up more about the assault and alleged that one of the adult women said she needed to be humiliated because she was being disrespectful, the warrant affidavits said.

The victim told Stuckey this is her life every day and “it is what it is,” according to the warrant affidavits.

Police took photos of the victim’s bruises and scratches. The victim also complained of a head injury and back pain that went up and her spinal cord, police said. She was transported to an area hospital and left in the care of DCF, according to police.

As the school was contacting the Connecticut Department of Children and Families to file an child abuse report, Stuckey requested that a DCF care worker was sent to the school because he did not feel it was safe for the victim to return home, the warrant affidavits said.

Stuckey left the school and went to the victim’s home where Keosha Muriel and Idinah Muriel were already speaking with police, according to the warrant affidavits. Stuckey spoke with the women and let them know he had viewed the videos. Keosha Muriel allegedly told Stuckey the video was just his perception of things and that was not what really happened, the warrant affidavits said.

Idinah Muriel allegedly told Stuckey she wanted to humiliate the victim for being disrespectful, according to the warrant affidavits. She then allegedly claimed she offered the juveniles at the scene $50 to anyone who would beat the victim and claimed that the victim wasn’t hurt in the incident, just humiliated.

Arrest warrants were obtained for Keosha Muriel and Idinah Muriel, and both women were arrested on Monday, police said.

Keosha Muriel is charged with cruelty to persons, risk of injury to a minor, third-degree assault, second-degree breach of peace, first-degree unlawful restraint and second-degree reckless endangerment.

Idinah Muriel is charged with cruelty to persons, risk of injury to a minor, second-degree reckless endangerment, conspiracy to commit third-degree assault, conspiracy to commit second-degree breach of peace and conspiracy to commit first-degree unlawful restraint.

Both women were issued $100,000 bonds, police said.

In total, 10 juveniles are charged in connection with the incident, according to police.

A 15-year-old faces charges of cruelty to persons, risk of injury to a minor, third-degree assault, second-degree breach of peace, first-degree unlawful restraint, second-degree reckless endangerment, fourth-degree sexual assault, second-degree threatening and second-degree strangulation, police said.

A 12-year-old is charged with cruelty to persons, risk of injury to a minor, conspiracy to commit second-degree assault, second-degree breach of peace, first-degree unlawful restraint, second-degree reckless endangerment and fourth-degree sexual assault, police said.

Eight other juveniles between the ages 12 and 13 are each charged with conspiracy to commit risk of injury to a minor and conspiracy to commit cruelty to persons

The investigation into the incident is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact the New London Police Department at 860-447-5269, Ext. 0 or anonymous information can be submitted via the New London Tips 411 system.