Earlier this week, eight additional juveniles were referred to St. Louis County Family Court for possible charges related to the brutal assault of Kaylee Gain, a beating captured in a viral video that shocked the conscience of the region and beyond.
The assault on Gain occurred after school on Friday, March 8. Video of the incident shows Gain and another teenage girl appearing to square off against each other in a residential street near their high school. Things escalated seemingly in an instant, with the 15-year-old assailant on top of Gain, hands around her collar, and repeatedly smashing her head into the street. That 15-year-old was taken into custody on an assault charge the following day.
The eight other individuals are being referred to the court for consideration of assault charges, though it is unclear if these are first-degree assault charges or a less serious category. Those being referred range in age from 14 to 17 years old. Four are male, and four are female. None are in custody.
Being referred to the family court for charges means that police officers have presented evidence to juvenile prosecutors, who will now decide whether to file charges in the case and, if charges are filed, whether to ask that the juveniles are taken into custody as their cases work their way through the courts.
St. Louis County Police Colonel Kenneth L. Gregory issued a statement in response to both the beating of Gain and the fatal stabbing of Jennings Middle School student Justin Brooks near his school the following week.
“We, along with our community, are saddened by the loss of life and severe injuries these young people have suffered,” Gregory said. “We also cannot ignore the life-changing circumstances affecting the families of those responsible for these heartbreaking events. There is a disconnect between our children and acceptable conflict-resolution behaviors.”
Gain’s family announced last week via their GoFundMe that the 16-year-old is out of the intensive care unit, now breathing on her own and “remains stable.”
The 15-year-old assailant is currently in the juvenile court system. She will have a certification hearing to determine if her case will proceed through the juvenile system, which means it would play out largely away from public view, or if she will face the first-degree assault charge as an adult. A family court judge will make that determination after hearing the evidence.
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