ESSEX, Md. — He could only stomach the first few seconds of the video. Eventually, Tony Longo would watch the entire four minutes of his son, 12-year-old Kayson, getting beat up by several other kids outside an apartment complex in Essex, Maryland.
“When I took him to the pediatrician, I almost threw up,” Longo said. “The bruises are so dark and so deep on his back, the knots on his head. Physically, he’s healed. But mentally, I don’t know what it’s gonna take, or how long.”
At one point, they strip him of his clothes. Even when he’s finally able to walk away, they jump him again. When he’s trying to put his shoes back on, he’s struck in the head.
It was merciless. And it went viral, even getting the attention of Elon Musk.
But it failed to really grab the attention of the people who could hold the perpetrators accountable, those in the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services.
Longo wanted to file a protective order but was told he needed the names of the attackers. The department wouldn't provide them.
“I feel like we're stonewalled. We're a victim and I feel like we're being treated like the criminals,” Longo said.
Even when attorneys Adele Brockmeyer and Jack Turnbull got involved, they say, they too were met with indifference.
“It's scary that [there] were two attorneys that know what is supposed to happen and we're putting their feet to the fire and they're just not doing anything. So what happens if you're just by yourself?” attorney Adele Brockmeyer asked. “And how many kids become — that are the victims — fall through the cracks and are scared to go back to school, scared to go outside. Yet the supposed defendants, they're at school, they're just fine.”
“If adults committed these crimes, I could have a peace order against those adults - they would be identified; the police officer would give me their identity, and I would go to the district court and have a peace order by lunchtime,” attorney Jack Turnbull said. “The problem with these juvenile cases is, is everyone is so interested in protecting the identities of the assailants, and the victim has no recourse.”
Timeline of what’s happened
The assault was on March 7. Baltimore County Police identified eight of the juveniles in the video, and on March 12th, five of them were arrested on second-degree assault charges.
Police said the other three were too young to be charged. Baltimore County State’s Attorney Scott Shellenberger said they were younger than 13, and kids that young can only be charged with a crime of violence. Second-degree assault is not considered one in Maryland.
But even for the five who were arrested, they were let go for now. For any formal court action, DJS needs to forward the case to the State’s Attorney’s office. Maryland law gives DJS intake officers 15 business days to begin that process, or refer them to services. You can read more about the DJS intake process here.
The attorneys were told by DJS that intake conferences for the teens are scheduled for April 1 and 2, and a formal intake decision will be made within 15 days after that.
“So now we'll be at the end of April before any decision is even made, and this occurred on March 7,” Brockmeyer said.
In the meantime, the perpetrators are free to threaten Kayson at school, which his father says they’ve done. And Kayson is living in fear.
“It’s telling all the other kids, 'Hey, you can do things like this, and we will be back in school the next day.' The only person that missed school was Kayson, the victim of this crime,” Turnbull said.
“My son went to school finally yesterday; all them kids are there, they're laughing, having a good time. What kind of environment is it, or what kind of message are we sending our juveniles here in Maryland? That you have free reign. It's lawlessness. It's unacceptable.” Longo said.
The state attorney confirms he has received one case file for one of the juveniles and will start working on it. DJS declined to comment for this story, citing confidentiality laws.
As for the protective order, the attorneys were finally able to at least request one. Again, they needed the names of the perpetrators, which DJS refused to provide. But the state’s attorney told them he believed it was information they were entitled to and provided them with the police report and their names.
But DJS still has 15 business days to decide whether to grant the order. Although Longo began requesting one on March 14, the attorneys didn’t get the necessary information until March 21. They submitted the request the same day. DJS didn’t acknowledge receipt until March 26, so it’s unclear when the 15-day window actually began.
“Let's say I didn't have these two attorneys, right? I would still be sitting at my kitchen table staring at these peace orders,” Longo said. “I’m looking for this to be an opportunity for change and consequences.”
One silver lining in all of this for Longo is the enormous outpouring of support he and Kayson have received - phone calls, social media messages, even gift baskets dropped off at his door.
"People that I don't even know all over the country, our country and all over the world, from Greece, from Italy," he said. "It's amazing how people can come together."
This story was originally published by Elizabeth Worthington with the Scripps News Group.
