Teenage suspects in Brooklyn rape case ordered to be released from jail

The five teenage suspects in the case of the alleged rape of an 18-year-old girl in Brooklyn have been ordered to be released from jail on Thursday as the investigation into their case continues.

The five teenage suspects in the case of the alleged rape of an 18-year-old girl in Brooklyn have been ordered to be released from jail on Thursday as the investigation into their case continues.

The suspects were accused of gang-raping the victim after ordering her father away at gunpoint, but the teens insisted that not only did the girl give her consent but she had also been having sex with her father prior to their arrival.

District Attorney Kenneth Thompson offered no objections when Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Matthew Sciarrino ordered the release of Travis Beckford, 17; Onandi Brown, 17; Ethan Phillip, 15; Shaquelle Cooper, 15, and Denzel Murray, 14. However, Cooper will remain in custody for an assault case.

“Because we are determined to get to the truth about what happened in that park, we need more time to investigate this complex case and gather more evidence,” Thompson said. “Therefore, we have consented to the defendants’ release.”

Spencer Leeds, Brown’s lawyer, applauded the move, while Kenneth Montgomery, the lawyer for Murray, called out “so-called community leaders” as well as the police for condemning the boys “without trying to figure out what happened before they ruin these young men’s lives.”

“The first story is never the last story,” Police Commissioner Bill Bratton said. “I think in this case that’s certainly the case or will prove to be the case.”

SHARE THIS ARTICLE