New video has emerged of the brutal beating of a 16-year-old girl that occurred before authorities said she was raped at a Hollywood house on Nov. 1.
NBC 6 obtained the video of the attack on Friday, on the same day that one of the five teenagers charged in the case faced a judge. They have all been charged as adults.
According to authorities, 18-year-old Lanel Singleton videotaped the incident on his cell phone and held the victim down – a charge he denies.
Singleton, who is being held on bond, appeared in Broward Circuit Court Friday morning. His attorney Joseph Pappacoda has filed several motions in the case – including one to have his client tried separately.
"What I see is out of all of the codefendants, Mr. Singleton has the least amount of involvement, and the most standing by and watching and videotaping, kind of ‘bystander type of activity,’ instead of active participation,” Pappacoda said.
A prosecutor argued in court that the motion was premature.
The judge chose to rule at a later date on whether Singleton should be tried separately.
Weeks ago, cell phone video of the beating was introduced into court as evidence. That previous video showed the victim getting dragged by her hair across the floor the night of the alleged incident.
Prosecutors say the incident took place at the home of 19-year-old Jayvon Woolfork on the 1600 block of McKinley Street. Woolfork is accused of committing the rape. He is being held without bond.
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The new video shows the victim outside the house being pushed, punched and kicked by the two girls involved. She is then dragged by her hair inside the home.
Once inside, one of her alleged attackers stands guard at the door, refusing to let her escape.
Pappacoda and co-counsel Cole Gale admit the offense was horrific. But they say their client should not be facing a life sentence.
"I mean it’s not against the law for somebody to be a bystander and to not intervene, but people are gonna want to know why nobody intervened to stop it,” Pappacoda said.
