©
By Michelle Washington
The Virginian-Pilot
NORFOLK
Six teenagers accused of beating another teen while a video camera recorded the incident were convicted Wednesday of misdemeanor mob assault.
Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Judge William P. Williams scheduled hearings for the boys Dec. 20 to determine the outcome of the cases. He said he would see what each boy's culpability was in the case before deciding whether to set a sentence, vacate the conviction, or take other action.
The six boys, ages 13 to 16, were charged after the videotape showed 13-year-old Damin O'Rourke being kicked and punched by several youths. The incident happened in Ocean View at Marlow and Orange avenues in September. Those charged have not been named because of their ages.
Several witnesses gave conflicting testimony during the trial.
Prosecutor Greg Underwood began the hearing by showing Williams the recording of the assault, which shows O'Rourke being struck from several sides. O'Rourke was bloody after being punched repeatedly, knocked to the ground, and kicked in the face. He testified several times that he was in a coma after the assault, but he did not seem to understand the term. He later told Underwood he meant that he was confused after the attack and had suffered migraine s.
O'Rourke testified that the incident began with some name-calling and a rude gesture. He said he and a couple of friends had been chased by several youths, who challenged one of O'Rourke's friends to a fight.
"I said, 'if you're going to start something with them, you're going to start something with me,' " O'Rourke testified. O'Rourke said he defended himself when several people jumped him.
O'Rourke denied having any weapon when defense lawyers questioned him. But one witness testified that the incident began when O'Rourke pulled out a switchblade and cut him on the wrist. The witness said he treated the cut himself with a bandage, but showed Williams a scar on his arm. The witness told O'Rourke he did not want to fight, but O'Rourke went to get friends to help him.
Defense lawyer Robert M. Smith III called two female employees of a neighborhood pizza shop who testified that O'Rourke recruited friends to help him fight. When the other boys resisted, the women testified, O'Rourke said, "I'll go do it by myself."
She said one boy responded, "If you could beat them up by yourself, why did you come to get us?"
Defense lawyers argued that O'Rourke had been the aggressor, and that the boys shown beating him on the videotape sought strength in numbers because they believed O'Rourke had a knife.
Defense lawyer Bobby Howlett argued that O'Rourke himself had "upped the ante" by bringing other people into the fight.
But Underwood argued that the pictures spoke 1,000 words. "From the first blow to the last kick in the face, each defendant is responsible and liable," he said.
Williams took a recess to read each defendant's statement. In finding the boys guilty, he referred to each boy's "shocking" admissions in the beating. Williams also referred to the incident as "pubescent bravado," saying he would consider each boy's case individually at the December hearing.
Michelle Washington, (757) 446-2287,michelle.washington@pilotonline.com
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Everyone is to blame
This should not be a racial thing at all. These kind of fights have happened throughout the years. Everyone who was fighting is guilty. The "victim" isn't much of a victim since he had a chance to get out of it yet he wanted to fight. He is just as much to blame as the other youths.
Back when I was growing up and a 3(or more) on one attack happened it was not a big deal or nothing to laert the press about. it was kids being kids. Most times when parents found out, there was discipline in the household.
The only thing that even makes this a case is that there was a video camera on scene. If anything the kid was goading the group into a fight, just so something like this can happen. He knew it was there.
Just look across the water!
I suppose that this country would be better off like our neighbors in Europe who uses thuggary, violence, and intimidation on minorities to express their anger at minorities trying to make a better life for themselves!
The rise on anti-Jewish, extreme right-wing propaganda and violence is the direction this country is headed toward!
Violence in all it's forms are wrong period! However, calling minorities thugs and thinking that it's only in their nature is totally laughable because simply put, racists will not be happy until this country is free of minorities period!
Since we all know that this is not going to happen, perhaps we should accept this fact and try to live together in harmony! In order to this, we need to admit that their are still racial inequalities existing in the workplace and in financial institutions that prey on minorities and most importantly, fix this legal system which discriminates against minorites. Many of you don't want to accept that the legal system, fina
All that matters is what's on the tape
Were the boys set up? What does it matter now? What matters is that they were caught on film doing the deed. Even if they were "framed" or "set up," their actions still need to be accounted for. Racism disgusts me but I know that one day racism as we know it will be squashed by a more color-mixed America and societal evolution. In the aspect of the existence of time, the history of racism in America will be but a hiccup in the breath of time. Rev. Jackson and Rev. Sharpton are expired, their usefulness long past. Their perceived intent and gumption is noble but their execution and end results go against what America needs. And America does not need people stoking the flames of hatred. Let Imus come back, Dog fade into anonimity....
Years of Experience
I had lived in Oyster Point Newport News for several years, moving from 10+ years in Virginia Beach, for a new job. Experience shows that the poor communities in Hampton, Newport News, Ocean View, and Norfolk are in a vicious cycle of poverty and violence. Ignorance, breeding poverty, breeding violence. We can and should give the death penalty to these murderers to cull the heards of youth that have no respect for life. But it won't stop new criminals from being made. In order to do that, we have to give them jobs, and not a job in the military that teaches them to love more violence. Good luck to you. I moved from HR 3 years ago because of this continued ghettoization of hampton roads, and will never return.
White Bigots?????
Where is the outrage from the black community about black youths committing this crime? There is a racial difference here. When a crime is committed by a white person, other white people condemn the criminal and support the court system's decision. When a crime is committed by a black person, black people say the criminal was a victim of circumstance, white oppression, etc. etc. etc..
That Beating was Sure Ugly
Where are the parents..These guys need a some one in their lives with some common sense..
Good
Those viscious animals need to be behind bars. They claim that they were defending themselves. They could have walked away. They are the ones responsible. They deserve exactly what they get.
No More Violence..
Let this be a warning to anyone out there who is planning on ganglike attacks on anyone ..esspeically the ones that kill and rob.. as was the case 6 weeks prior to this attack. Let it Stop! Let it start at home with the parentsparents/Guardians teaching their children right from wrong and keeping them busy with productive projects. Learning ,teaching kindenss and respect for oneself and others. Anyone should feel safe to walk the streets around them anywhere. Thank you Virginia Pilot for keeping us informed.
More fake outrage
Predictably the white bigots are all up in arms over this case. But the fact is these boys are going to be punished. I guarantee if the attackers had been white, they would have gotten a slap on the wrist, or in the Jena case, the judge would have called their actions a "prank". By the way, where's the white outrage over the case in W.Virginia where 6 white people kidnapped and sodomized a black woman. Her name is Meagan Williams. Where's the white outrage about that!
Why the outcry? Because the pendulum swings. Because
many people are growing weary of the special priveliges afforded minorities in this country. Affirmative action is one major source of constant irritation. Why should someone be given greater access to higher education simply because of the color of their skin? Minorities are given a pass on their behavior as well. Can you imagine someone starting a White Entertainment Channel? Oh, how the cries of racism would ring out! Victim status. How many times have we heard that minorities are victims of just about everything? How's that for a start? That just might be why many are complaining when 6 blacks gang up on 1 white and there is no cry of "hate" or "racist", as would absolutly be the case if the converse were true. Thank Jesse.