DNA evidence led to teens in Dunbar Village rape

By Missy Diaz | South Florida Sun-Sentinel
August 22, 2007

Source

A 14-year-old charged in the brutal gang rape of a mother and her 12-year-old son confessed his involvement to police after they told him his DNA was detected on a condom recovered at the scene, according to evidence made public on Tuesday.

The DNA of a 16-year-old co-defendant was found on the outside of the same condom, according to more than 100 pages of evidence in the case, known as discovery.

The court records provide a detailed depiction of the horrors alleged to have occurred over the course of three hours June 18 in West Palm Beach's Dunbar Village public housing complex. The case has made international headlines and shined a light on the city's crime-ridden public housing community.

The evidence was made public a day after a judge denied a request to delay the release of certain parts of the investigation. Assistant State Attorney Lanna Belohlavek argued that the ongoing investigation could be jeopardized and additional suspects could avoid arrest if photo lineups and portions of police reports were made public. Circuit Judge Sandra McSorley declined to privately review that evidence, ordering discovery to proceed as usual.

Four males — ages 14, 15, 16 and 18 — have been charged as adults in a 14-count indictment that could send all of them to prison for life. Defense attorneys have argued that the victims failed to identify the same suspects from photo lineups and that they identified fillers — people not involved in the case — as perpetrators. In some instances they identified different people as the same person.

Four masked males
Hoping to steal money and jewelry, Avion Lawson, 14, said he and someone else wore masks when they entered the 35-year-old woman's apartment that night, according to the documents. Once inside, Lawson said, he and his accomplice, whose name is blacked out on the report, encountered the woman in bed with three other masked males around her. Lawson told police he sexually assaulted her and stole two video games and a truck.

Police later found the video games inside the Dunbar Village apartment of Lawson's grandmother, Jonnie Mae Wilkerson, with whom Lawson often stayed.

The victim returned home from her job delivering phone books about 9 p.m. the night of the attack, according to her statement to police. While fixing her son something to eat, a young male with braids knocked on her door to tell her the tires on her truck were flat. Once outside, she said, she saw a male with a large gun and two others armed with guns. They wore black clothing over their faces, she said, and ordered her back into the apartment, where they demanded money.

After being told there was no money, the attackers tore off the woman's clothes and raped her until five others arrived, according to the documents. The new arrivals took turns having sex with her and then sodomized her. The mother was then ordered into a tub filled with vinegar and water where they used hydrogen peroxide, alcohol, nail polish remover and ammonia on her. At gunpoint, the assailants forced the mother and son to have sex.

Throughout the attack, the victims suffered beatings, including having a bowl and lightbulbs smashed over their heads. The encounter was recorded on a cell phone camera, according to the mother.

Before leaving, the males looked for a lighter to set the two on fire but couldn't find one, she told police. They ordered the pair to stay in the tub and took off. About 30 minutes later one of the males returned to sexually assault the mother one last time. Before leaving, he scribbled a man's name and 6-CO, a gang, on a piece of paper and told the woman he hangs out on Sixth Street and that's where he could be found. He grabbed a Sony PlayStation 2 before fleeing.

Mother livid
During a six-hour interview with police, Lawson, the first to be charged in the case, confessed his involvement after being told his DNA was inside a condom found in the victim's home. En route to the Juvenile Assessment Center, Lawson called some friends and did not sound remorseful, according to police. His lawyer, Bert Winkler, declined to comment on the evidence.

The next to be charged was Nathan Walker, a 16-year-old who dropped out of the seventh grade after three attempts to pass. Walker's latent fingerprint was found at the scene along with his DNA on the outside of the same condom linked to Lawson, according to the documents.

Walker became so agitated at the police station that he had to be placed in handcuffs and leg restraints after he began throwing chairs at the walls and door, according to documents. His lawyer, Robert Gershman, has asked for a mental health evaluation of his client.

Jakaris Taylor, 15, was arrested July 12. A resident of Dunbar Village, he said his brother played with the 12-year-old victim, though Taylor denied ever being in the apartment. His mother, Jacqueline Minor, encouraged Taylor to give police a DNA sample. Lab results showed Taylor's latent print inside the home, near Lawson's and Walker's.

Minor was livid at her son, according to police.

"Jacqueline yelled at Jakaris and told him she hoped he would never get one night of sleep and that he sees [the victims] every night when he tries to sleep," a report stated.

On Thursday police charged Tommy Lee Poindexter, 18, with the crimes after physical evidence linked him to the scene.

The suspects are due back in court Oct. 31.

Missy Diaz can be reached at mdiaz@sun-sentinel.com or 561-228-5505.