10-Year-Old Facing Murder Charges for Shooting

June 14, 2022 Don Pumphrey, Jr. Criminal Defense, Juvenile Offenses, Violent Crimes Social Share

A 10-year-old girl in Orlando may be facing murder charges after shooting an adult this past week. The tragic event happened after her mother got into an altercation with another woman in their apartment complex.

The fight turned violent when the young girl grabbed her mother’s gun and shot the other woman. Now that the girl has been taken into custody, there is debate over whether the child should remain in juvenile custody or should be released, considering her young age.

We will cover the details of the incident, along with facts on releasing adolescents’ information after a crime, and the potential defenses for a child who has been accused of a violent crime.

What was the Incident?

Before midnight on May 30^th, Lakrisha S. Isaac, 31, and her daughter were at their apartment complex at the Windsor Cove Apartments in Orlando. According to the report, Isaac got into a physical fight with Lashun Denise Rodgers, 41.

During the confrontation, Isaac supposedly handed a backpack to her 10-year-old daughter. The young girl rummaged through the bag and found a gun that was stored in there. Police say that the minor pulled out the gun and allegedly fired off two shots. Rodgers was hit in the head and fell back onto the ground.

A witness from the apartment complex overheard the girl shout, “She shouldn’t have hit my momma,” before the shooting took place.

Police were called onto the scene and Rodgers was transported to the hospital. She was pronounced dead at the hospital. The 10-year-old was arrested and taken into custody, and the Orange-Osceola State Attorney’s Office released a statement saying no charges have yet to be made.

In the OOSAO’s statement, Monique Worrell provided the following comment:

“Our office has started the process of reviewing this case and will consider all of the facts, including the age of the child, and all of the surrounding circumstances, when making charging decisions. We anticipate that whatever charges we eventually file, if any, will ensure she receives the interventions necessary to address her behavior, help her change and grow, and ensure the public’s safety going forward.”

The girl could be facing second-degree murder charges and depending on the judge could be charged as an adult for the severity of the crime. Her mother currently faces charges of manslaughter on culpable negligence, aggravated assault with a gun, negligent storage of a gun, and neglect of a child.

The 10-year-old’s defense attorney has requested that she gets released on an ankle monitor, and claims that juvenile detention would be too traumatizing for a girl at such a young age. “She has absolutely no record. She is a severely traumatized 10-year-old. The juvenile detention center was not set up to take care of kids this young,” her attorney said.

The girl’s father, Dewan Dennis, has also given a plea to the judge for his daughter’s release. He has requested that she gets to come out and into his custody. “I am going to do everything in my power to make sure that my daughter gets all the help that she needs,” he said. “I’ve already bought coloring books and stuff to occupy her time.”

Despite the requests from her family and her attorney, the judge has decided that the young girl will remain in custody. Due to the seriousness of the crime, the judge said that she would remain in custody for the next 21 days to evaluate the case.

The prosecution has requested an additional 9-day extension to gather more information on the case, but the judge denied it. “While I understand her age is a component, we have to look at the nature of the offense and the charges that have been alleged and the facts that have been alleged for the community’s safety,” the prosecution said. 

The maximum length of detention is 21 days unless a good cause is shown in a hearing. Good cause can be shown when the child is charged with an offense that would (if committed by an adult) a capital felony, a life felony, or a second degree-felony involving violence against an individual. While the 10-year-old girl has been charged by police with murder, the prosecutor has not filed a charging document against her. Additionally, the judge denied the prosecutor’s motion to extend the girl’s detention.

The judge and the attorneys will return to the court on June 28^th for another hearing regarding the case.

Child Crimes and Confidential Information

Typically, when a crime has been committed, the police reports with the accused person’s information, along with the details of the crime, are a matter of public record. Things get a bit more complicated when the accused individual is a minor. One exception to public information is for the case in which a minor has been accused of a crime, in which their identity may be protected.

Under Florida Statute Section 943..053(3)(b), juvenile criminal history information is confidential and exempt from public records requests unless the juvenile has:

• Committed an offense which if committed by an adult would be a felony; or
• Transferred to adult court.

Florida Statute Section 985.04 covers oaths, records, and confidential information of an accused individual. This portion of Florida law says that the information of a juvenile is confidential and may be disclosed only to the authorized personnel of the court. This includes the law enforcement agencies, Department of Corrections, school superintendents, any licensed professionals representative participating in the assessment or treatment of a juvenile, or any others entitled under this specific chapter to receive information.

Defenses to Juvenile Crime

When a juvenile is accused of a crime, especially a violent one, it may seem like they will just get thrown into a juvenile detention center.

However, there are still defenses that can be used for young children and teens who have been arrested.

One defense is that young adolescents do not yet have fully developed brains, and are incapable of rationalizing the consequences of their actions. In the case above, the young girl was only 10-years-old, most likely not even going through puberty yet. This means she most likely had no idea of the severity of her actions, or the potential consequences that can happen because of them.

A skilled defense attorney can use an expert witness to help create a defense for juveniles accused of crimes. One of the top psychologists for adolescents, Dr. James Garbarino, said of children accused of crimes: “Most juvenile killers are best understood as untreated, traumatized children acting out through adolescent bodies. There is a growing awareness of the role of trauma not just as a consequence of violence, but as a cause.”

To read more about the adolescent brain and what experts say about teens and crime, you can read our blog post here.

Finding a Defense Attorney in Tallahassee, Florida

Getting accused of a crime is extremely stressful, especially for a minor. Young children and teens who get in trouble with the law may have had no idea of the consequences of their actions, and can wind up getting sent to juvenile detention centers or even prison for something they immediately regret after. If you are a minor who has been accused of a crime, or the parent of a minor who has been accused of a crime, it is imperative that you seek out the legal help of a skilled defense attorney. Young people need legal assistance just as much as adults, and the penalties for a juvenile can still be extremely severe. Don Pumphrey and his team at Pumphrey Law Firm can help – call (850) 681-7777 or leave an online message today for a free consultation.

Written by Karissa Key

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