Mom of teen set on fire says it’s nightmare
DEERFIELD BEACH (AP) – Michael Brewer loves his skateboard, SpongeBob and the tree swing in his front yard. Now the 15-year-old whose family calls him Mikey has burns over two-thirds of his body and is fighting to live after authorities say five other teens – some of whom were at his house to play a month ago – doused him in rubbing alcohol and flicked a lighter.
Authorities said the attack happened after a dispute erupted over a video game that then escalated with the attempted theft of a bicycle belonging to Mikey’s father. The boys accused in the attack are in a juvenile detention center, and Mikey is in a Miami hospital’s intensive care unit, unable to speak and fighting for his life.
“It’s certainly beyond the realm of anything normal,” said Sgt. Steve Feeley, one of the Broward County sheriff’s detectives investigating the case. “It’s scary. It’s scary that these kids would do that.”
Doctors say Mikey is doing as well as can be expected, but grimly note that the boy faces years of skin grafts, therapy and surgery. Potentially fatal organ failure and infections are common in cases this severe.
Dr. Nicholas Namias of the University of Miami-Jackson Memorial Burn Center said that it is premature to say that Mikey is out of the woods in terms of danger from the burns.
“He isn’t even in the woods yet,” Namias said on the CBS Early Show.
The boys accused of attacking Mikey have been charged with aggravated battery. The one accused of flicking the lighter also faces an attempted second-degree murder charge. He was remorseful when detectives interviewed him, but two others laughed when they were questioned, Feeley said.
They are charged as juveniles; the state attorney could decide to move some, or all, into adult court. If convicted as adults, they could serve 15 years in prison – and up to 30 years for the attempted second-degree murder charge. All have prior juvenile criminal records, authorities said.
“My son is innocent and that’s what I’m sticking with,” said Dennis Bent, father of 15-year-old Matthew Bent, who is charged.
No one answered the door at the other four teens’ homes; phone calls from The Associated Press were either not answered or not returned.
The horrific crime has gripped South Florida, and Mikey’s family has received supportive e-mails and phone calls from around the country.
Everyone is wondering: How could boys this young set one of their own on fire?
“I still can’t believe that there are kids who are that wild out there,” sighed Kyle McCombs, a 30-year-old neighbor of the Brewer family. McCombs brought a mylar balloon that said “Get Well Soon!” and a card to the Brewers’ home on Wednesday.
“Where did they even get the idea?”
Kathleen Heide, a criminology professor and specialist in child crime at the University of South Florida in Tampa, said young teens are particularly susceptible to peer pressure and impulsive actions.