Two Teens Charged With Homicide in Pennsylvania Group Home UPDATED

“The western Pennsylvania group home was a place for juveniles to get their lives back on track. Instead, one resident of Allegheny County home is fighting for his life after a fight left the victim without any vital signs. Two other teens have been charged as adults in wake of the near-fatal brawl. TribLive.com reports that teens Malik Crosby, 16, and Yusuf Shepard, 15, were charged as adults with aggravated assault, conspiracy and attempted homicide.

The victim, whose name and age were not officially released, remained in critical condition on life support at UPMC Mercy, Uptown, on Sunday night. Pittsburgh homicide detectives are still investigating the fight at Circle C Youth and Family Services’ home in Carrick, the website reports, adding that Allegheny County human services officials and the state Department of Public Welfare also will investigate. The fight occurred about 10:30 p.m. Saturday, leaving the victim unresponsive and not breathing, police told TribLive.com.

Background according to TribLive.com: According to the charging documents, an employee of the home tried to break up the fight, then called police, who found the victim unconscious and not breathing on the floor of the group home’s kitchen. Officers performed CPR until medics arrived. The victim had just returned to Circle C that day, after leaving an earlier placement there because he’d argued with Shepard before, the charging documents said. An argument between the victim and Shepard on Saturday night escalated into a physical fight, which Crosby allegedly joined. At one point, the victim threw a vacuum cleaner at Shepard, who put the victim into a chokehold while Crosby picked up the vacuum and hit the victim with it, the charging documents said. Officials with Westwood-based Circle C could not be reached for comment, and there was no answer at the door of the Carrick home. According to the group’s website, the home houses boys ages 13 to 16 who are serving juvenile probation or clients of the county Office of Children Youth and Families.” Near-fatal brawl at Pa. group home leaves 1 teen on life support, 2 charged as adults[Penn Live 1/12/15 by  John Luciew]

“Two juveniles have been charged with severely injuring a juvenile at a group home in Carrick. Pittsburgh police responded just after 10:30 p.m. to a physical altercation in the Circle C Group Home on Carrick Avenue, where two juveniles “caused severe bodily injury to a third juvenile victim,” a city press release said. Arrest records identify the two juveniles as Malik Crosby, 16, and Yusuf Shepard, 15. According to the criminal complaint, the victim had just returned to the group home from another placement the same day as the altercation. He had been moved after a previous verbal altercation with Yusuf, according to the complaint. Following another argument that evening, the two juveniles attacked the victim and began to punch and kick him.

In an attempt to defend himself, the victim threw a vacuum sweeper at the boys. One put him in a choke hold while the other struck him with the vacuum sweeper in the stomach and ribs while a group home employee called 911, according to the complaint. Officers found the victim unresponsive and “turning blue around his lips, forehead and fingertips,” locked in the kitchen of the group home, with the two teens in the living room.

They administered CPR until paramedics arrived and continued medical care. The victim regained a pulse and was taken to UPMC Mercy, where he remains in critical condition. The teens were taken into custody and homicide detectives are investigating. Both are being held at Allegheny County Jail, and have been charged with aggravated assault, attempted homicide and criminal conspiracy. A preliminary hearing for both is scheduled for Jan. 16. Marc Cherna, director of Allegheny County’s Department of Human Services, said three separate investigations would be launched into the incident — police investigating the assault, as well as investigations from the Department of Human Services for both the county and state. The home is contracted through the county and licensed by the state, Mr. Cherna said Sunday. He said he couldn’t discuss details of the case because of confidentiality reasons.

“We’ll certainly take a very strong look at what happened here,” he said. “This certainly isn’t a pattern.” The Circle C Group Home is a residential program for younger adolescent boys and has capacity for nine children who are generally ages 13-16, according to its website. Referrals to the home are accepted from Children, Youth and Family Services and Juvenile Probation.”

Two residents charged with severely beating teen at Carrick group home[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 1/11/15]

REFORM Puzzle Piece

Update:” A 16-year-old Pittsburgh boy has died days after police say two fellow group home residents severely beat him. Nicholas Grant died Tuesday night at UPMC Mercy. He had been on life support after the attack Saturday at the Circle C Group Home in the city’s Carrick neighborhood.

Police initially charged a 15-year-old and 16-year-old with aggravated assault and attempted homicide. Additional charges have not yet been filed. The boys remained jailed Monday in lieu of $100,000 bail each and could not be reached for comment. Online court records did not list their lawyers. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Friday Police say the teens punched and kicked Grant, put him in a chokehold and struck him in the stomach and ribs with a vacuum cleaner. Public welfare officials are investigating”

Boy, 16, dies after beating at Pittsburgh group home[Penn Live 1/14/15 by Associated press]

“Pittsburgh police charged two teenagers on Thursday with homicide in the death of a 16-year-old resident of a Carrick group home. Malik Crosby, 16, and Yusuf Shepard, 15, are accused of beating Nicholas Grant on Saturday at the Circle C Youth and Family Services home on Carrick Avenue. He died Tuesday. The county medical examiner’s office on Thursday ruled Grant died from lack of oxygen to the brain and ruled his death a homicide. Assistant District Attorney Lisa Pellegrini, the county’s top homicide prosecutor, said her office awaited the results of an autopsy before upgrading the charges; police initially charged Crosby and Shepard with attempted homicide and related counts.

Both teens are being charged as adults and held in Allegheny County Jail. They were awaiting arraignment on new charges Thursday night. Their preliminary hearing, originally scheduled for Friday, will be postponed. Before being placed in the group home, Grant attended West Mifflin Area High School. But he spent half of his school day at the Steel Center Area Vocational Technical School in Clairton, where he studied culinary arts, said Phillip Woods, West Mifflin’s principal. Grant enrolled at West Mifflin last fall when he moved in with his father, Lee Grant Jr., and his father’s fiancee, Mary Bauer. Before that, he lived with his mother, Leslie Grant, in Blair County.

“He seemed like he was trying to start over,” Woods said. He said Grant had trouble adjusting to his new school and living situation. He did make friends but seemed to bounce from clique to clique, Woods said. In late October, school officials and Grant’s father decided the teen should enroll in West Mifflin’s cyber program. Molly Harbst, Grant’s guidance counselor, described him as “a bit of a lost soul.” According to his transcript, he was shuffled from school to school.

“I don’t think he’s ever had the opportunity to put his feet down anywhere,” Harbst said. Grant’s parents could not be reached Thursday for comment. According to the criminal complaint, Grant left the group home when he got into an argument with Shepard, then returned to the facility Saturday. That night, Grant and Shepard argued again. A fight broke out that raged through three rooms. Shepard and Crosby were hitting and kicking Grant, who would fall then get up, defending himself, the complaint states. A female staffer at the home told police the boys stopped fighting before Grant picked up a vacuum cleaner and threw it at Shepard, who then attacked Grant.

The complaint states Shepard put Grant in a chokehold and took him to the ground. Crosby picked up the vacuum and used it to strike Grant in the stomach and the ribs before beginning to kick him. The employee said she called 911 when the boys did not heed her orders to stop. She told police she watched Grant turn blue as Shepard choked him and Crosby struck him. Police found Grant on the floor and not breathing. Two officers revived Grant, who was transported to UPMC Mercy, where he was on life support until his death Tuesday night.”

Teens in fatal Carrick group home beating charged with homicide [Trib Live 1/15/15 by Adam Brandolph and Tony Raap]

Update 2:“Pittsburgh police say two teens are responsible for killing a third at a group home for troubled boys last month, and now a district judge must decide whether there’s enough evidence to send those charges to adult court for trial.

Sixteen-year-old Malik Crosby and 15-year-old Yusuf Shepard were scheduled for a preliminary hearing Wednesday afternoon on criminal homicide, assault and conspiracy charges.

Police say they attacked 16-year-old Nicholas Grant at the Circle C Youth and Family Services Group Home on Jan. 10.

Police say both boys beat Grant and that Shepard put him in a chokehold while Crosby beat Grant with a vacuum cleaner that Grant threw at Shepard during the fight.

Defense attorneys have argued that the suspects were defending themselves or, at least, didn’t start the fight.”

2 to learn whether they’ll stand trial in group home death[WTAE 2/25/15 by Associated Press]

Update 3: “Two teens accused in a fatal assault at a Carrick group home were in court Wednesday.

District Judge James Hanley ordered the two teenagers to stand trial for murder after a fight last month at a Carrick group home resulted in the death of a resident there, Nicholas Grant.

The Allegheny County Medical Examiner ruled Grant was choked to death.

Yusuf Shepard and Malik Crosby were ordered to stand trial on charges of criminal homicide, aggravated assault and criminal conspiracy.

The only witness at the preliminary hearing was a youth specialist at the home, Joylynn Grant. She described a fight that followed Shepard allegedly calling Grant a snitch.

“It went into the hallway, then went into the living room. They were wild. Nicholas grabbed a vacuum and threw it. Yusuf grabbed Nicholas from behind, with Nicholas neck in a choke hold. Malik punched and kicked him,” she said.

“It went into the dining room. Malik hit Nicholas with the vacuum. Nicholas was turning purple, trying to pull Yusuf’s arms away. It ended when Nicholas stopped moving,” she testified.

Defense attorneys Al Burke and Blaine Jones argued the victim was the aggressor.

Both are exploring the prospect of sending the case to juvenile court. Right now, both are charged as adults.”

2 Teens To Stand Trial In Group Home Beating Death[CBS 2/25/15 by Harold Hayes]

Update 4: “A teenager accused of helping beat a teen to death at a Carrick group home grieves for the victim, whose face he sees in flashbacks and nightmares, a forensic psychologist testified Tuesday in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court.

Dr. Alice Applegate said Malik Crosby told her, “ ‘He should not have died that way. That’s all I think about, the boy that died.’ ”

Crosby, now 17, is charged along with Yusuf Shepard, 16, in the death of Nicholas Grant at the Circle C Youth and Family Services home in January 2015. Grant, 16, died four days later.

Both are charged as adults.

The hearing was to determine whether Crosby should be tried as a juvenile.

Applegate recommended Crosby be tried as a juvenile and given psychological services. Tests did not reveal Crosby is at risk of violent behavior, she said.

“He has a lower than average risk of re-offending,” Applegate said.

Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey Manning did not immediately rule. Shepard’s hearing will be held later.

Crosby has a long history of anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder stemming from the loss of his father, who was shot to death inside a bar when his son was 2, Applegate said. Crosby developed a sense of abandonment when his mother chose not to tell him what happened to his father, the doctor said.

“His father just disappeared,” Applegate said.

Crosby developed separation anxiety and blamed himself for his father’s disappearance, she said. He felt betrayed by his mother when he learned the truth at 8 from his paternal grandfather, she added.

Crosby, who now has a tattoo that reads “Like Father, Like Son,” began getting into trouble at school and acting out, Applegate said.

After a fight over Thanksgiving 2015 [?Isn’t it 2014?], Crosby’s mother sent him to the group home.”

Teen charged in death of boy at Carrick group home should be tried as juvenile, psychologist says

[Trib Live 1/12/16 by Jason Cato]