3 Ohio teens plead in 'bored' beating case

Jennifer Edwards Baker, The Cincinnati Enquirer | USATODAY

NORTH COLLEGE HILL, Ohio -- Three of the six teenagers charged with the brutal beating of a man simply because they were bored pleaded guilty Monday in Hamilton County Juvenile Court, officials said.

Daquan Cain, Lamont Champion and Antonio Hendrix, all 14, admitted to one count each of felonious assault in exchange for juvenile prosecutors dropping the aggravated riot charge and a serious youthful offender stipulation that would have sentenced them under a blend of juvenile and adult guidelines, said North College Hill Police Chief Gary Foust.

The teens will be sentenced in April and May by Hamilton County Juvenile Court Judge Tracie Hunter.

They could be placed on probation or incarcerated from a minimum of one year or until they turn 21.

Foust said he hopes the judge locks the boys up.

"We certainly would like to see some sort of incarceration," he said.

When asked if he was disappointed the serious youthful offender stipulation and riot charge were dropped, the chief responded:

"We certainly did our part in facilitating the charges. Certainly it is up to the discretion of the prosectutor and state whether charges are amended or not," he said. "Ultimately, I guess, where justice prevails is if the judge has a chance to review all the facts of the case and then issues a sentence based on those facts."

The three other teens charged in the case will either plead guilty in the coming weeks or continue fighting the charges by asking to go to a pre-trial: Tyree Mizzell, 13, Michael E. James, 15 and Terrell Mizzell 13.

In the meantime, all the teens remain on house arrest and attend North College Hill schools.

The youth, who all were charged with felonious assault and aggravated riot in the Aug. 11 attack on Pat Mahaney, 45, in North College Hill, are being tried separately in juvenile court, Hunter decided on Feb. 19.

The boys' families and lawyers have said they will not give interviews.

The case drew national attention to North College Hill, a western Hamilton County suburb of about 10,000 residents. Mahaney was walking home from the store with a six-pack of beer on a Saturday night, looking forward to watching a ball game, when the six teenagers jumped him from behind and brutally beat him, police have said.

The boys told investigators they attacked Mahaney because they were "bored" and "looking for something to do," a police report shows.

Mahaney, an unemployed factory worker, was hospitalized for four days. He suffered so many internal injuries doctors had to insert a tube down his throat to remove all the blood from his stomach.

Outrage set in once details of the incident became public.

In the weeks following the attack, fundraisers were held for Mahaney and dueling rallies took place. Some reached out to at-risk youth. One was organized by a white supremacist group convinced Mahaney was targeted by the teens because he is white and they are black.

Police officials repeatedly have said the attack was not a hate crime.

Mahaney has only given one media interview about his ordeal. In August he told The Enquirer he was stunned by how young his alleged attackers were.

"I didn't think kids could do something like this," he said at the time. "They should be punished."