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CBS NEWS DEERFIELD BEACH, FLORIDA Juveniles Arrested for Dousing Fla. Boy with Flammable Liquid; Teen Burned Over 65% of His Body
Three teenagers have been arrested for intentionally setting a 15-year-boy on fire, leaving him hospitalized with burns over 65 percent of his body, police said.
According to the Broward Sheriff's Office, Michael Brewer was sitting by a swimming pool Monday afternoon in Deerfield Beach when he was doused with a flammable liquid and set on fire.
Court documents say the liquid was rubbing alcohol.
Brewer's mother, Valerie, told CBS Station WFOR correspondent Carey Codd, "We just don't understand why anyone would do this."
A witness said she saw a group of boys running in the complex so she went outside to investigate.
"Somebody threw something at (Michael)," Providencia Maldonado said. "I don't know if it was gas or alcohol or something and the next thing you know the kid is on fire."
A neighbor, hearing the young man's screams for help, put out the flames with a fire extinguisher, said Brewer's sister, Malissa Durkee.
The teen then ripped off his shirt and jumped into the pool.
Neighbor Jennifer Nielsen, a former lifeguard, heard Michael's screams and ran outside to help. She said she comforted Michael as he screamed in agony.
Nielsen said Brewer's top layer of skin was peeling off; his eyebrows were gone, as was the hair on the right side of his head. Family members said most of his hair, including his eyelashes, had been burned off.
"I'm still shaken up," Neilsen told WFOR. "But I'm happy I was there for that child. I just want that child to be OK."
Brewer was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital. The pain of the burns was so intense that he had to be placed in a medically-induced coma.
A relative told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel that the teenager is in serious condition but doing OK. Brewer may be in the hospital for several months to receive numerous skin grafts and to recover from his injuries, said his mother.
The suspects are two 15-year-old boys and a 13-year-old boy. All are accused of setting Brewer on fire. Court documents say the attack was over money the alleged attackers said Brewer owed them.
Detectives originally believed the motive was payback for a thwarted bike theft.
Investigators also said they believe torching the teen was a well-planned attack and not something that just happened by chance.
Even police are shocked by this case.
"When you think you've seen it all and you think people can't be any more cruel, you come up with this," BSO spokesman Jim Leljedal told WFOR correspondent Ted Scouten.
Durkee said her brother, who loves skateboarding and video games, is a good kid who needs his family more than ever.
"I believe he will be able to make it if everybody just prays for him," Durkee said.
S. FLORIDA SUN-SENTINEL DEERFIELD BEACH, FLORIDA  Denver Colorado Jarvis, age 15, hides his face in juvenile court, Tuesday. (Joe Cavaretta, Sun Sentinel / October 13, 2009)  Jeremy Jarvis, 13, left, and his brother Denver Colorado Jarvis, 15, appear in juvenile court, Tuesday. The brothers, along with a third boy were charged with burning the Deerfield boy. (Joe Cavaretta, Sun Sentinel ) |
Three teenagers were charged with aggravated assault today for allegedly holding a 15-year-old Deerfield Beach boy down, dousing him with rubbing alcohol and setting him on fire.
The victim, identified by family members as Michael Brewer, suffered burns over 75 percent of his body, especially on his torso and arms, sheriff's spokesman Jim Leljedal said. A news conference on the case is scheduled for 3 p.m.
The suspects, Matthew Bent, 15; Denver Colorado Jarvis, 15; and his brother Jeremy Jarvis, 13, appeared before Circuit Judge Elijah Williams, who said the victim was sitting by a swimming pool at about 3:15 p.m. when the three teens allegedly approached him and confronted him "over money they said he owed them."
Then, he said, the victim was held down while the alcohol was poured on him, and someone lit the blaze. Brewer, a seventh-grader, jumped into the pool to put out the fire, the judge said. Family members said most of his hair, including his eyelashes, had been burned off.
The Jarvis brothers and Bent were each ordered held in a juvenile detention center for 21 days, and will not be allowed to speak to each other, Williams said. They were also ordered not to contact Brewer.
Lawyers for the younger Jarvis brother and for Bent said their clients were "minimally involved" in the attack. Attorney Stephen Melnick said said Jeremy Jarvis was "just there. He was not accused of actually doing it."
Attorney Gordon Weekes, representing Bent, said his client "understands the gravity of the charges."
Doctors scraped Brewer's burns Monday night at Jackson Memorial Hospital while he was under anesthesia, according to brother-in-law Danny Martinez. Brewer woke up this morning and was given more anesthesia so he would go back to sleep.
"He's doing pretty good," Martinez said this morning. "He's still serious though."
During the Monday attack, Brewer screamed for help, said his sister, Malissa Durkee, 22. Her brother then ripped off his shirt and jumped in the pool, she said.
Detectives suspect the attack at the Lime Tree Apartments on the 400 block of Southeast 13th Court was tied to an incident the day before, when Brewer stopped someone from stealing his father's bicycle.
Martinez said Brewer, a student at Deerfield Beach Middle School, had refused to go to school Monday because of Sunday's incident. Sheriff's officials said he had gone to the apartment complex to visit a friend.
After the attack, Brewer was taken by helicopter to Broward General Medical Center, then transferred to Jackson Memorial Hospital's burn unit in Miami. He's expected to stay at the hospital for up to five months, Martinez said. |
