Left inset: Antavia Kennibrew (WOIO/YouTube). Right inset: Antavia Kennibrew's 5-year-old daughter (GoFundMe). Background: The area in Cleveland, Ohio, where Antavia Kennibrew's daughter was allegedly set upon by a group of boys that cops say are all under the age of 10 (Google Maps).
An Ohio mother whose 5-year-old daughter was allegedly raped, beaten and strangled by a 10-year-old girl and 9-year-old boy — along with having her hair "scalped from her head" — pleaded Wednesday with the judge overseeing the kids' attempted murder case to not take it easy on them, saying "This type of behavior doesn't deserve grace."
"She has been going through it," the mom, Antavia Kennibrew, told the juvenile court about her daughter, according to Cleveland.com. "And that's how it should be for the offenders."
Kennibrew's plea came after one of the young defendants, the 9-year-old, did not show up to court due to alleged car troubles. The 10-year-old was present, but her parents chose to skip the proceeding. She reportedly wore a pink coat with a fur-lined hood pulled up over her head and refused to speak. The child's public defender denied the charges against her on her behalf, according to Cleveland.com.
"They knew what they were doing," Kennibrew told the court, according to local CBS affiliate WOIO. "And they were okay with that. They even played after not caring about my baby."
Cuyahoga County prosecutors have charged the 10-year-old girl and 9-year-old boy with attempted murder, rape, assault, kidnapping, and strangulation for the brutal attack on Kennibrew's daughter, who allegedly had her "hair pulled from her scalp" and was left in a field to die on Sept. 13.
Kennibrew says her daughter was beaten and raped by several boys and at least one girl, but only the two defendants are facing charges.
"These are not normal kids," Kennibrew alleged in a Facebook post about her daughter's assault.
"I couldn't believe what I saw in front of me," the distraught mom explained about her child's condition following the attack. "My daughter did not look like herself. She was traumatized."
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A post made by the Cleveland Division of Police on Oct. 7 said its Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Unit was actively probing the incident and "multiple children under the age of 10" were identified "as suspects." Local officials have not responded to Law&Crime's requests for comment on whether additional charges will be filed against the others.
"Their selves and their parents need to be held accountable," Kennibrew blasted on Facebook.
The mom told police she dropped her daughter off that Saturday at a family member's house in Cleveland. The 5-year-old "walked out" the front door of the home undetected and was allegedly found by the "bigger kids," who presented themselves "as friendly," according to Kennibrew.
"[The children] took her by her hand and walked her to a field that was far away from the residence," Kennibrew alleged on Facebook. "In that field, they beat my daughter until she was unconscious. They ripped out her hair. They held my daughter down as they raped her. They also shoved sticks down her throat and … stripped her naked and strangled her with her own shirt."
Kennibrew says her family member noticed that Kennibrew's child was gone and went outside to see if she was in the area, but all she found were the alleged suspects.
"My family member … walked up to them and asked them if they saw a little girl," Kennibrew explained in her post. "They stared at her with no remorse and told her no and continue[d] playing knowing what they had just done to my daughter."
Authorities were called and the children eventually came back over to the family member with one of their parents to explain where Kennibrew's daughter was, according to the mom. Kennibrew was alerted by the relative and she rushed over to find EMS treating her daughter several blocks over.
"Her hair was scalped from her head," she told WOIO. "She had bruises and blood all over her body. Her eyes were filled with blood. Her lips and mouth were filled with blood. Her nails had debris and dirt stuck in it."
Kennibrew says the alleged attack left her daughter physically and mentally hurt, The young girl is currently undergoing therapy.
"I need justice for my daughter," Kennibrew wrote on Facebook.
The 10-year-old who is charged was placed on home detention Wednesday with an ankle monitor. Prosecutors had asked for home detention to be considered "at a minimum," according to Cleveland.com. A competency evaluation was also requested by the judge, who said she had "significant concerns" about whether the young defendant understands all of the charges against her.
A competency hearing was scheduled for January, while the 9-year-old boy who is charged was granted a rescheduled arraignment for next week.
