Hotmail
Teen gets 20 years for gang rape of woman, son
16-year-old agrees to plea deal, will testify against three other suspects
 | Video: Crime & courts |
 Conflicting details emerge in Knox case July 5: Amid contradictory claims about the house where British exchange student Meredith Kercher was found murdered, Amanda Knox’s defense team is turning their attention to forensic evidence. NBC’s Keith Miller reports. |
On the run |
The U.S. Marshals want your help finding their "15 Most Wanted" fugitives, a notorious list of suspects fleeing everything from murder and robbery to child sex charges. To date, about 200 of the fugitives profiled on the list have been found. Tips leading to an arrest are rewarded up to $25,000. Click here to see the fugitives. |
 |
Breaking news alerts (about 1 per day) |
Find more alerts at alerts.msnbc.com |
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - A teenager charged in the horrifying gang rape and beating of a woman and her son agreed to a plea deal Monday that will send him to prison for 20 years.
Jakaris Taylor, 16, pleaded guilty to sexual battery and burglary and will testify against three other teens charged in the June attack, according to the state attorney's office. He will be credited for 130 days already served.
Three other teens — 18, 17 and 14 — face charges including sexual battery, kidnapping and burglary. They could face life sentences if convicted.
A woman told police that as many as 10 masked teens accosted her and her 12-year-old son in their apartment in a housing project.
The teens are accused of raping and sodomizing the mother, forcing her at gunpoint to perform oral sex on her son, and beating both of them. The suspects then doused them with cleaning solutions in an attempt to destroy evidence, police said.
Taylor's lawyer, Chris Haddad, told The Palm Beach Post that the teen has expressed remorse and regret and wants a chance to have a family when he is released.
The accuser is satisfied with the plea deal, said state prosecutor Lanna Belohlavek.
"She's hoping by having this defendant testify against the others, she won't have to — nor will her son have to — go through the trauma of reliving it," Belohlavek told the Post.
- Discuss Story On Newsvine
-
Rate Story:
View popularLowHigh - Instant Message
MORE FROM CRIME & COURTS |
 Crime & courts Section Front |
| Add Crime & courts headlines to your news reader: |
Boost your career with an online Degree. Pick from Leading Colleges!
www.EarnMyDegree.com
Sponsored links
Resource guide