Alleged Upper Darby bullies denied release, judge boots media from court
The seven Upper Darby boys, ages 13 to 17, arrested Monday for a videotaped bullying incident that made national headlines, will remain incarcerated at the Delaware County Juvenile Detention Center while awaiting their Feb. 10 hearings, a judge ruled today.
Alleged Upper Darby bullies denied release, judge boots media from court
William Bender
The seven Upper Darby boys, ages 13 to 17, arrested Monday for a videotaped bullying incident that made national headlines, will remain incarcerated at the Delaware County Juvenile Detention Center while awaiting their next hearing on Feb. 10, a judge ruled today.
Judge Mary Alice Brennan, who took the unusual step of denying the press and others access to an open court proceeding, ordered that the teens undergo a psychological evaluation and risk assessment, according to Public Defender David DiPasqua. The Delaware County District Attorney's Office objected to having today's hearing closed, saying that it is an open proceeding under state law.
The seven teens, who attend the Opportunity Center behind Upper Darby High School, are charged with assault, kidnapping and related offenses for the Jan. 11 bullying of 13-year-old Nadin Khoury. He was dragged on the ground and hanged in a tree and by a 7-foot-tall spiked fence post. It was videotaped on a cell phone.
Brennan, a former district judge in Upper Darby, has previously served as special counsel for the Upper Darby School District.
Today's hearing was conducted by videoconference because the teens are at the detention center in Lima. Before the news media was removed from the courtroom, a 14-year-old defendant said into the camera: "If you see my mother, can you tell her I love her?"
The boy's attorney, Geoffrey Seay, said outside the courtroom that he hopes his client will be released to his mother and grandmother after next week's hearing. He had asked that he be released today.
"I don't know that they can make out all those charges," Seay said, adding: "At this point, I've seen as much video as everybody else and all I see is blurs, so I can't say what, if anything, my client may have done."
"Certainly, it's repulsive to all of us," Seay said of the video.
Comment removed.
Line 2---"ad try" should read "and try." Sorry for the typo; this keyboard is frustrating.- @zete10--"My people" are not liberals. They are writers and academics who support democratic socialism ad try to expose the many inequities of capitalism. I am not aware that any of them have criminal records. So, in your anger and frustration, perhaps you should cast a more narrow net. Your eagerness to put people to death is very similar to the mindset of many Shiite fundamentalists in Iran, which is scary.
- @Zete--People on the left usually oppose the death penalty because we believe that society should be better than the worst among us.
- Comment removed.
but but! we ain't got no daddy!daddy's a sleaze ball that knocked up momaa nd took off,like alot of low lifes do!— garymapleshade- Comment removed.
- Comment removed.
- Comment removed.
- Acts of violence like this are why they invented the death penalty!!— Toots McGee
- They all should go to "Beyond Scared Straight"— rayne215
- Let the punishment fit the crime. They could have hit and kicked the victim all afternoon, but they did not. A year in juvie for each of them is probably the maximum sentence they deserve. Any draconian punishment may turn them into career criminals. Their laughter indicates a strong need for education and empathy training, not life-ruining revenge.
- Comment removed.
- these are not animals. they are savages. the animals get a bad rap.
they should try them as adults and then throw them under the jail and cement it over. i saw one mother of the savages on tv saying she didn't like the way chitwood handled things. she 's got nerve. if she'd handled things right with that savage she hatched from her body she wouldn't have to say that. they all think their little darlings should be spared. if their savage had been beaten they'd be raising h... too. in philly they would have gotten away with it, but i,m glad this is delaware county. good for the judge, one with some guts.
we only have one judge in philly with guts. so i hope they eventually get tried as adults then buried. lock that dumb mother up too.— etbarksdale - THE VICTIM WAS NOT BEATEN......THE MEDIA STATED THAT THE BOY WAS PERFECTLY FINE. KIDS PLAY LIKE THAT ALL DAY, EVERYDAY. WAS IT WRONG FOR THEM TO DO WHAT THEY DID TO THE VICTIM? YES SHOULD THEY BE DISCIPLINED BY THE STATE? YES, BUT FEDERAL PRISION AND STATE PRISION IS TO DAMN MUCH, AND FOR YOU TO SIT THERE AND CALL THESE KIDS SAVAGES AND ANIMALS IS JUST WRONG! WHY ARE THEY SUCH SAVAGES AND ANIMALS BECAUSE THERE "BLACK"? ALL THIS BULLS*** IS JUST A RACE ISSUE!
-DANTE' GIDDINGS— DanteG17 - I lived there for 13 years, my kids were in that district, and I think it is absolutely disgusting that something like this could even happen! The fact that no one at the scene was human enough to call 911, or go out and put a stop to it, is even more disgusting. Those kids deserve to be fully prosecuted, although I sincerely doubt that it will change any one of them. They are products of their family's values, or lack thereof. They are products of society and the acceptance of this sort of thing as "kids play." Let's face it, they are criminals, if not yet, they surely will be soon. I applaud the UD police for handling this the way they did, arresting them at school; and for the court to not release them or allow it to become a media circus with the "parents" crying and claiming that their son is a "good boy" who was just having fun. These boys should be expelled and sent to disciplinary school. I hope the victim is able to move on unscarred, to prove that the bullies don't win.— livedthere
- Comment removed.
- Hang those animals. They will be part of the system for the rest of their lives. Put those animals down now, save us all some money.— pkkingston
- Try doing that to my kid- you'll be begging for the cops to come. I had the rare opportunity to intercede when 4 teenagers were picking on my 10 year old autistic son. I picked up a shovel and confronted them- they were all crying like little b*tches. TOUGH GUYS- until you call them out!!— Bostonian
- I think its sad how quick we are to through are kids to the wolves as adults and then Question why the children act the way they act.— justmyopioion
- Yes, you are right. It's sad how that kid was thrown to the wolves. Those wolves need to be punished and they are right where they should be right now. — Bob1
- I think there going about this all wrong! 5 years in prison is unnecessary. Things like this happen in everyday life is it right no, should it be stopped absolutely. This child was not injured, brutally beaten, or even bruised to my understanding. There are worst things that happen through out the city such as, rapes, robberies, thefts, and more that didn't make front cover but yet this situation has. There are other ways to discipline and penalize these 7 minors such as, several years of community service, probation, and house arrest but, 5 years in prision is way over board. They are minors and I believe they deserve second chances every child, teenager, and adult made bad choices and mistakes at one point in life!
-Dante' Giddings— DanteG17 - Comment removed.
- i agree. what they did was wrong and they definitely need to be punished, five years for bullying is way too much. probation or some time in juvie yes. but they do deserve a second chance if they dont have previous records. as hard as it may be for some people to realize, these are kids. hopefully its not too late for them to turn this negative into a positive(finish school and stay out of trouble)
- They do have priors. Reading is fundamental. — MSTEE
- Comment removed.
- it is not the video that is repulsive. it is the bullies themselves, they are repulsive. and to the kid who used his phone to video the circus; thanks! to the victim; stay strong,grow up to buy and sell the bullies, prosperity and positive thoughts win out.— Miss M.
- Thats how these rats are. They see anything of value, in this case an intelligent nice young man, they want to ruin it. Typical case of trash in the ghetto trying to make sure everyone else stays trash.— Capsulef
- NOW the kid cares about his mom? I say let them all free....in about 20 years— TKL008
- Comment removed.
- Seems to me that since this was a preliminary hearing and they're minors, removing the press is fine.— cboath
- good!
- Hopefully the young man injured in this will go forward and make the most of his life and put this horrible ordeal behind him. He appears so pleasant and intelligent. I also hope that the seven young men will learn from their mistakes and some day become law abiding adults. These kids have got to stop this thug mentality, they're ruining their own lives.— lostinthebigcity
- The judge was out of line barring the media. She should be replaced and face disciplinary action. The First Amendment is vital to a truly impartial legal system.— cybersport
- Comment removed.
- since they are juveniles the court cannot release their identities-- that is why there is no press. btw 1st amendment has nothing to do with this, the media reported the crime — rs1982
- This comment has been deleted.— mrjetsondc420
- Comment removed.
- Maybe you feel like a really "Big" person to post something like this but let me just tell you that you are not! Easy to be an "Internet" bigot when you don't have to look at someone who is African-American in front of you!
- And where are the parents in all this?!? This should be held civily/criminally liable for the behavior of their minor children...— kvertical
- And where are the parents in all this?!? This should be held civily/criminally liable for the behavior of their minor children...— kvertical
- Comment removed.
- Comment removed.
- They should be tried as adults. They all knew what they were doing and it was wrong.— Cedrick
- Good job Judge !! Keep the animals caged....— Nutball
- They're human beings not animals that was a very rude and childish comment! — DanteG17
- Comment removed.
Just tell that fourteen-year-old darling that his mother loves him too. Especially when he's out of her sight for so long and being cared for so lovingly by the taxpayers.
