GUILTY FL - Michael Brewer, 15, set ablaze by classmates, Deerfield Beach, 12 Oct 2009

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Bless that poor boy...............and bless those first responders, in the air 13 minutes after arrival- that is amazing.

I can barely stomach the suffering burn victims go through. It sounds like he will survive but there is a chance that he won't....65% of his body ..unbelievable.
 
GREAT NEWS!!!!!!!!

Burned Deerfield teen speaks to family, hospital staff
Michael Brewer asks nurses for money for a snack
By Rafael A. Olmeda, Sun Sentinel

November 12, 2009
Two days after the 15-year-old burning victim was taken off a ventilator, he made a hoarse, raspy request of the nurses treating him at the Jackson Memorial Hospital Burn Center.

His words were less profound than they were practical – he asked for a dollar so he could buy french fries and a milkshake – but family members are nothing short of elated.

"We're all crying tears of joy," said Brewer's great-aunt, Patti Gendron. She described Brewer's parents as very excited at the progress their son has made this week.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/broward/deerfield/fl-brewer-talks-bn-20091112,0,5383248.story


This is such a wonderful, happy story - coming from this horrible attack!!!! It made my heart smile to read this. Michael has a long long long way to go - but it seems he has the joy of life running through him and with that, he'll make it!!!
 
:woohoo:

Get that man a milkshake and fries!!!
 
Patti Gendron does regular updates on Facebook and I shed a little tear when I read today's message. She says he's only halfway out of the woods, but wow! Off the ventilator and talking and eating real food! So wonderful!

But this is another case where I do believe that I would able to not say ANYTHING at all even for my own child if one of them did this horrific crime. I'm pretty sure that my only statement would one of asking for community support and prayers for the victim and his family. Of course, we never know unless we are in their shoes but some acts are inexcuable regardless of who commits them!
Click to expand...

You know, I can't blame some of them, though. The parents, I mean. Denial is a powerful thing, and I can see how unless I had video evidence, I'd find it impossible to believe that my sweet little boy would do something like that. I'd cry and yell and question him and at the end of it, I'd probably end up making excuses. It was peer pressure. It was drugs. He wasn't there. His friends just need someone to blame. I'd need to do that, because I can't see turning my back on one of my babies. Parents never outgrow their children. That's not to say the relationship wouldn't be incredibly strained, but I know I'd still sit behind him in court even if my heart was weeping for the victim.

It's one reason I've never faulted the Anthonys for supporting KC. With them, I fault them for supporting KC at Caylee's expense. There's no doubt in my mind that they have themselves so deeply in a state of denial and confusion that they'll never find their way out. I've met them and spoken with them and they're just lost people. I just think that this macabre kind of celebrity they've stumbled into has warped their mindset completely and Caylee needs their validation even now.
 
Three teens accused of setting a 15-year-old friend on fire pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges of attempted murder, a public offender for one of the boys said.

Denver Jarvis and Matthew Bent, both 15, and Jesus Mendez, 16, are charged as adults with one count of attempted murder in the second degree in the October 12 attack in Deerfield Beach, Florida.

They were arraigned in Broward County Circuit Court before Judge Dale Cohen and are being held without bond.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/11/19/florida.burned.boy/index.html
 
Apparently Mikey is awake, talking, and is eating quite a lot of food! He's in a fancy suite with a voice-activated bed now.
 
This is such an unspeakable crime...I live here and we have been following this on our news...the horror and torture that poor Michael endures is unreal

Latest...the younger brother made his sorry "I'm sorry" speech on tv...he is free and apparently going out of state to be home schooled by some relatives. Another 15 year old boy has been found to have been more a bystander and they are not charging him

Here is the best page of links to this sad story ...all the latest updates

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/broward/michaelbrewer/
 
MomofBoys...I don't think it is a "fancy suite"...it is a burn unit...

this poor kid has to endure horrific "debrading" to get the old skin off...he is not eating "tons" of food...water, jello..a milkshake

he is in really bad shape...burns are the most painful and horrible ordeal

he will have infections and setbacks..the doctors have already said this is a fact, not just a possibility

He seems to be a fighter, God Bless him....and he is maintaining as well as can be expected...but hardly fun in a "fancy suite"
 
And...to show how sick people are....Mike's sister had 2 charred dolls thrown in her pool it seems>>
"Investigators also are looking into a report that Brewer's sister discovered two charred dolls floating in her backyard pool Wednesday afternoon.

According to the report released by the Broward Sheriff's Office, Melissa Durkee, 22, found the gate to her backyard open at 1 p.m. and found the two toy dolls, burnt and joined together heads to feet.

The dolls belonged to Durkee's two daughters, who had left them in the front yard of her Deerfield Beach home the night before, she told deputies. Durkee told deputies she heard her dog barking overnight.

Sheriff's office deputies have knocked on doors to see if neighbors had any information. No one has been arrested.'

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/broward/deerfield/fl-burned-dolls-20091105,0,6752626.story
 
smart blonde said:
I just read that the teens were laughing, after they set Michael on fire.

The older Jarvis brother's photo took my breath away. He looks evil, soul-less.
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I so agree, DC and Mendez both have an empty, cold stare that appears to be lifeless (or soul-less). Bent looks like he thinks it is some sort of game, Sheldon has that same empty stare as the others. Jeremy looks like a little kid, he reminds me of the boy in GB who was told he had impregnated his gf, only to find out 5 other kids had been there before him and he wasn't the baby daddy at all.

"I want to express my deepest sympathy for Mikey and his family," Jeremy Jarvis said at a news conference. "I will pray for Mikey to grow stronger every day and have a speedy recovery."

Jarvis stood in front of reporters, claiming the youngster lying in the hospital, burned over 65% of his body "was one of my best friends," and he said, there was no falling out between them. The friendship continued right up until the moment Jarvis and four others encountered "Mikey" at an apartment complex; when Jarvis' brother, D.C. doused his best friend with alcohol and Jesus Mendez lit him on fire with a match.

Jarvis also had kind words for his brother. "I want to tell my brother, D.C., that I love and miss him," Jarvis said. "I just hope and pray we all get through this."

 IMO His attorney should have told him to keep his mouth shut about everything except Michael Brewer. This was not the appropriate moment to give his brother a shout out.

Jarvis, 13, wasn't permitted by his lawyer to explain how the notorious Oct. 12 attack occurred, but there was one thing he did say: It wasn't planned. There was no organized scheme to surround him, pour rubbing alcohol on him and set him ablaze.

Yes, and we all believe, this because we all store our rubbing alcohol and lighters by the pool for convenience too.
The conflict between Brewer and Bent started, according to investigators, over $40 Brewer owed Bent for a video game. Matthew Bent, 15, is accused of directing the attack. Denver Colorado (D.C.) Jarvis, 15, is accused of pouring rubbing alcohol on Brewer. And Jesus Mendez, 16, is accused of lighting the fire. All three have been charged as adults and face a maximum of 30 years in prison if convicted.

If anyone ever needs a manual on how to raise a criminal, they need go no further than the back grounds of 4 out of 5 of these kids. Not only were these boys let down by their parents, they learned at a very young age there are no consequences for the bad behavior of their parents. The crimes they committed are horrendous, yet over and over they were given a slap on the wrist. It is appalling. Investigators say all five boys, ages 13 to 16 -- have had brushes with the law.

Oct. 12 ~ Matthew Bent is accused of orchestrating the attack.

1993~ Dennis Bent (43) was angry that Andrew McLeary owed him and some buddies money. Bent and his two friends broke into McLeary's home, pilfered jewelry and other possessions. Then tried to kill him. While two other men held him down, Bent thrust a knife at McLeary so hard that it broke, he then grabbed a pair of scissors and began stabbing, his face, stomach and right thigh. "I'm going to kill him,'' Bent growled.

Bent confessed, charged with attempted murder, home invasion, armed robbery, armed burglary and use of a weapon. The most serious offenses were dropped, he pleaded guilty to burglary and battery charges. He was placed on probation for two years. Bent's arrest record of felonies grew -- from drug possession to aggravated battery.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jesus Mendez, put a lighter to Michael Brewer after Denver Jarvis doused him with alcohol.

Jesus Mendez Sr.,/Yolanda Mendez, appear to have no criminal records.

Mendez, was arrested for first-degree misdemeanor battery in 2007.
Jesus Mendez had been deeply unhappy as his parents underwent a bitter, angry split. Mendez felt that his father was no longer a part of his life. Mendez's mom moved, to insulate the boy from a bad crowd.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Denver Colorado Jarvis III doused the victim with rubbing alcohol.
Jeremy Jarvis did nothing to stop the attack.

June 2005. D.C. Jarvis II was arrested for drunken driving, child abuse and driving too fast for conditions. He pleaded no contest to drunken driving with property damage. The other charges were dropped. He was sentenced to six months' probation, his probation extended after his urine analysis tested positive for drugs.

In the truck at the time: his 10-year-old son, Denver Colorado III.

Their mother, Sherry Jarvis, 38, had mental health concerns, and was convicted of drunken driving.

The Jarvis children had been subjected to years of abuse, they had been removed from the house by child welfare authorities, declared dependents of the state and ordered to live with a relative.

Still, the couple kept trying to keep their family together, by 2006, they fulfilled all their child welfare obligations and completed counseling and parenting classes. But since that time, BSO has responded to more than 20 incidents at the Jarvis' Pompano Beach home, mostly for domestic disturbances.

In July 2008, Sherry Jarvis told investigators her husband jumped on top of her, grabbed her by the throat with both hands and nearly choked her. He was charged with battery, but the charge was later dropped.

The couple was charged with violating school attendance laws because their sons were skipping school. They were ordered to undergo parenting classes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Steven Shelton did not try to stop the other boys from carrying out the attack on Brewer.

January 2008, Patricia Hollis reached speeds of up to 100 mph racing across a parking lot, through intersections, down one-way roads the wrong way, ran red lights & stop signs. While her 10-year-old son was a passenger in the car, the police notified state welfare authorities about her son. She was arrested, taken to jail & ordered to do 50 hours of community service and to undergo random drug-testing.

1999 - 2008, Hollis, 41, had been arrested nine times; in fact, pleaded guilty to resisting arrest, child abuse, fleeing and eluding, and was arrested for shoplifting, fraud, impersonation and child cruelty. In one incident a sheriff pulled Hollis over and found her fighting with Shelton who told the sheriff that Hollis had a box cutter and she told him she would ``f---'' him up with it. Arrested on aggravated assault, the charges were dropped because they couldn't prove their case.

Steven Shelton, has been arrested 12 times, he has pleaded guilty to intent to do violence, distributing marijuana, felony resisting arrest and battery. He was sentenced to two years in jail and five years' probation.

Hollis and Shelton fought for five years over whether he is the legal father of Steven Shelton, ordered to pay $63 a week in child support, he was held in contempt for failing to pay.

~~~~~~~~~~~~
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/broward/deerfield/fl-jeremy-jarvis-talks-20091124,0,7023903.story
Jeremy Jarvis statement to reporters

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/broward/deerfield/sfl-teens-burning-case-102509,0,1849013.story
attackers come from troubled homes




 
Thanks for that detailed (and chilling) list of info on these "friends"

just such a horrible group of people...I agree that most of them should just shut up

I also was appalled by the "shout out" to the older brother
 
I wanted to share this story with y'all. this little boy Robert was tied up to a tree, doused with gas, and set on fire on his 8th birthday. this happened in our little town of Splendora, Tx. He was burned over 99% of his body. He is now 17. maybe one day he can meet or talk to Michael and share his story.

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/health&id=5963871

ETA: the child and two adults who did this were never charged.
 
jnTexas said:
I wanted to share this story with y'all. this little boy Robert was tied up to a tree, doused with gas, and set on fire on his 8th birthday. this happened in our little town of Splendora, Tx. He was burned over 99% of his body. He is now 17. maybe one day he can meet or talk to Michael and share his story.

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/health&id=5963871

ETA: the child and two adults who did this were never charged.
Click to expand...

Speechless. :no:
 
We all need to be thankful for what we have and for the health we do have when we hear about this. How incredibly heart wrenching that poor child. I hate hearing about these things.
 
If anybody did this to my son you would have to physicaly restrain me and lock me up. I think I would go crazy.
 
Did any of you see the talk show with Jeremy Jarvis, his mom and attorney? They played the tape of Jeremy wishing Mikey well. He said Mikey had been one of his best friends before this. Then his attorney wouldn't let him say anything else. So host asks mom about her son, who has been charged with this "terrible crime". Mom said, "I want you all to know my boys aren't the monsters they are being made out to be; because there are two sides to this story and we only know one!!!" Host asks Jeremy, "Couldn't you have done anything to stop it?" Jeremy just says "No." Again his mom replies, we don't know the whole story!!! (repeating her son's aren't monsters!!)

Sorry I was so appalled, I don't even know if the host was male or female. Could be Matt Lauer, Meredith Veira or Oprah! I just couldn't tell you after watching the Jarvis boys mother insinuating we don't know the truth about Michael!! I think I know enough about Michael to know this was a school boy argument that was ended 5 against 1, by accelerant and fire!! What more do we need to know? Did Mikey try lighting her sons on fire? Enough said!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~​
 
I saw that clip and I wondered what that Mom would be saying if her older son was the one lying in a hospital bed all burned up.

I also wanted to ask her what she had taught her son in the first 15 years of his life since she had not taught him to not harm others.
 
Luzer said:
I saw that clip and I wondered what that Mom would be saying if her older son was the one lying in a hospital bed all burned up.

I also wanted to ask her what she had taught her son in the first 15 years of his life since she had not taught him to not harm others.
Click to expand...

Somehow I think she would have an excuse for this too! (She was evidently too busy dealing with her own issues, to worry about theirs. Another case of children returned by CPS to a house of horrors by any normal account.)

I finally found a news clip of the talk show, I had forgotten about her comments about a 30 year sentence being too long, throwing away her child's life; hmm maybe she would like DC to trade places with Michael, he will be serving a life sentence of dealing with the burns, if he is still lucky enough to survive that long. If anyone can call what he is going through lucky.

GOD Bless him and keep him sane while he heals.

 
This article yesterday had some details I hadn't seen before:

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/southflorida/story/1380731.html

It seems like there were more teens around before the attack, though a couple were noted as being scared to talk; they didn't want to 'snitch' as that's what Michael was allegedly burned for, snitching. Also it says their stories were 'wildly' different at first, so I'm not sure how reliable the group that weren't arrested are as witnesses.

Anyway, supposedly Michael was confronted by those kids, and agreed to pay back the $40. He shook hands with the ringleader kid and started to walk away. That's when he was called back, the ringleader kid said to 'pour it on him', and he was doused with the alcohol and set on fire.

The article also repeated the claim I'd read before, about how the rubbing alcohol used as an accelerant was found at the apartment complex, not originally brought with the kids.
 
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