Victim in Florida Teen Burning Case to Testify
June 14, 2012— -- Michael Brewer, the South Florida teen who survived an infamous torching by his classmates in 2009, is set to testify today in the trial of the attack's alleged instigator.
Prosecutors are accusing Matthew Bent of planning and ordering the attack as revenge for Brewer's refusal to buy a video game from him and Brewer's parents' telling police of Bent's attempt to steal a family bicycle.
Several boys present at the attack – in which Brewer, who was 15 at the time, was soaked with rubbing alcohol before being lit on fire – have testified that Bent offered money to anyone willing to fight Brewer.
On their way home from Deerfield Beach Middle School, Bent and two other teens, all 15 at the time, confronted Brewer near an apartment complex. Denver Jarvis, who faces eight years in prison for pouring the rubbing alcohol on Brewer, testified Wednesday that Bent offered him $5 or $10 to "throw that on Michael," according to the Associated Press.
During cross-examination, Bent's attorneys pressed Jarvis on Bent's whereabouts during the incident.
"Matthew was not standing there, saying, 'Go ahead, pour it,'" a defense attorney said, according to ABC's Miami affiliate.
"No," Jarvis responded.
Jesus Mendez, who is serving 11 years in prison for flicking the lighter that ignited Brewer, covering 65 percent of Brewer's body with second- and third-degree burns, is expected to testify Friday.
Brewer survived the attack by jumping into the apartment complex swimming pool, but his mother Valerie testified that her son still requires physical therapy in order to keep his muscles flexible enough for daily functioning. The incident still haunts the family, she said.
Listen to the 911 call placed after the attack here
Bent is the only defendant in the case to have faced a jury. Jarvis and Mendez pleaded no contest and took plea bargains.
In February, Bent rejected an offer limiting his prison sentence to 10 years, opting for a jury trial instead. If convicted, he faces up to 30 years in prison.
