PHOENIX -- A 13-year-old Liberian boy charged in the reported gang-rape of an 8-year-old girl in Phoenix was released from custody Thursday and turned over to his parents as he continues lessons designed to make him competent to stand trial.
The boy, whom The Associated Press is not naming because of his age, has made progress in his lessons to understand the charges against him and how the justice system works, Maricopa County juvenile Judge Shellie Smith said in court.
The teen sat shackled in the courtroom and said only, "I want to go home."
His parents sat by his side.
"I want my son home," said his father. "We can keep our eyes on him."
Smith granted his release to the parents on several conditions, including that he continue his restoration lessons, get regular counseling and is monitored by an electronic-tracking device. He also must stay inside his home unless he's with an adult and not have contact with the victim, the other boys accused in the rape, or any children under 12 without adult supervision.
Four boys, ages 9 to 14, lured the girl to an empty west Phoenix storage shed on July 16 with the promise of chewing gum, restrained her and took turns raping her, police said. All the children involved are refugees from the West African nation of Liberia.
Prosecutor Cindi Nannetti argued against the 13-year-old's release Thursday, saying he still had to undergo a psychological evaluation, while defense attorney Robert Jarvis said the teen has been fearful and guarded because of his detention and would become competent to stand trial more quickly if he were in his parent's custody.
The boy is charged in juvenile court with sexual assault and kidnapping, but prosecutors are seeking to have him tried as an adult. He must be found competent to stand trial before the court decides whether his case will be transferred to adult court.
A 15-year-old who was 14 at the time already has been charged as an adult, and the charges against one of the younger boys have been dropped.
State child welfare officials have custody of the girl. The girl's 59-year-old father and 47-year-old mother are each charged with eight child abuse counts for abuse and neglect reports dating back to 2005. Those charges were filed in November.
The gang-rape case sparked an international outcry after police reported the girl's father said she brought shame on the family and he didn't want her back -- comments a family pastor later said were misunderstood because of a language barrier.
Police arrest parents of girl allegedly raped by 4 boys
PHOENIX -- The parents of an 8-year-old girl allegedly raped by four young boys have been indicted and charged with child abuse.
According to the County Attorney's office, the girl's 59-year-old father and 47-year-old mother were each charged with seven counts of child abuse; six of the charges are class 5 felonies and one is a class 3 felony.
Mike Scerbo, with the County Attorney's office, said the parents' bond has been set at $30,000 each.
ABC15 is not naming the parents or showing their faces to avoid identifying their daughter, who police say is a rape victim.
A news release from the office says "the indictment accuses the defendants of engaging in a pattern of conduct that repeatedly caused the victim to suffer from neglect or abuse."
Phoenix Police Sgt. Andy Hill said arrest warrants were recently issued for the two suspects by the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office based on a Phoenix Police Department Family Crimes Bureau investigation.
The girl was allegedly raped on July 16 when four boys between the ages of 10 and 14 lured her into a storage shed with an offer of chewing gum. Reportedly all but one of the suspects lived at the complex at the time.
In a five-minute 911 call released by police in August, the manager of the Phoenix building complex where the girl lived tells the dispatcher that a resident says a teenage boy locked the girl in a vacant apartment and had her screaming.
The manager also says the girl came out of the apartment in only her underwear and holding her dress in her hand.
The girl has been in state custody since the July incident. The boys, all Liberian, face charges in the alleged assault.
On August 26 Hill said, "The investigation is based on documented incidents from the Phoenix Police Department, Glendale Police Department, and numerous referrals to Arizona Child Protective Services dating back to late 2005. There are five police reports dating back to 2007 in the submitted package today, including two child neglect reports by Phoenix police, one child abuse report from Glendale PD, a child abuse report from Phoenix PD prior to the July 16 incident, the incident report from July 16, 2009, and today's overall child abuse report which includes all of the incidents."
Police say Steven Tuopeh, 14, and three boys ages 13, 10 and 9, lured the girl to a shed at an apartment complex in the 2600 block of North 45th Avenue where they raped her.
Tuopeh has been charged as an adult with two counts of sexual assault and one count of kidnapping.
Petitions were filed in juvenile court against the three other suspects. The 13-year-old has been charged with three counts of sexual assault and one count of kidnapping. The 10-year-old is accused of two counts of sexual assault and one count of kidnapping.
The other boy, who reportedly has turned 10 since the assault, wa charged with one count of sexual assault before that was later dropped.
The incident made international headlines, partially due to the fact that Phoenix police said the victim's parents, who are refugees from Liberia, said the girl brought shame to their family.
Family members later said there was a misunderstanding, however, the girl's father said he did not want anything to happen to the boys accused of sexually assaulting his daughter.
The girl is in the custody of Arizona Child Protective Services as police continue to investigate this case.
