Philadelphia police have charged a 14-year-old girl with third-degree murder and criminal conspiracy for her alleged role in the fatal beating of a 73-year-old man with a traffic cone.
Authorities released security camera footage last week showing a group of teens violently beating Jamie “Simmie” Lambert with traffic cones in Philadelphia in late June. Police described the suspects as “four black males and three black females who appear to be in their early to mid-teens.”
Gamara Mosely turned herself into the city’s homicide unit the morning of July 13, The Daily Caller reported. Police officially charged her shortly thereafter.
Authorities claim that Mosely hit the suspect twice in the head. Her attorney, Lonny Fish, is asking the public to refrain from judgment, in part because of the suspect’s age.
“My client is 14 years of age. I would ask that everyone hold judgment,” Fish allegedly said.
Previously, two brothers aged 10 and 14 turned themselves in to authorities. The 14-year-old boy faces the same charges as Mosley, but the 10-year-old boy was released by authorities, The Daily Caller added.
“The teens struck the victim several times with objects, knocking the victim to the ground causing injuries to his head,” Philadelphia PD said after releasing the initial video of the attack. “The victim was transported to the hospital where he died of his injuries the following day.”
The video shows the suspects chasing Lambert across the street before one clocks him in the back of the head with a traffic cone that knocked him down. Another teen then picks up the cone and throws it at the elderly man while he’s on the ground. Lambert then gets up and attempts to get away, but the group of juveniles once again pursues him before they are out of the camera’s frame.
Lambert died the day after the attack.
Several members of the victim’s family have told the media that they were with Lambert just hours before he suffered the mortal attack.
“It’s so evil,” Elsie Stephens, the victim’s older sister told the press. “How could you do that to a person. You have a mother and a father — how could you just beat a man until you take off half of his skull?”
Lambert’s niece said she couldn’t comprehend teenagers would beat an older person in the street for no apparent reason.
“I’m sick to my stomach over this,” Tania Stephens, Lambert’s niece, told the New York Post. “We all can’t stop crying.”
“Who does this? Anyone normal doesn’t beat up and kill a senior citizen walking down the street,” she added. “Simmie didn’t deserve this.”
Brandon Drey contributed to this report.