Emotions ran high in a Miami courthouse on Monday as attorneys for two out of three boys charged in the rape of a 12-year-old girl entered “not guilty” pleas on their behalf.
The minors, who are being charged as adults, did not appear in court and remain behind bars as their families dispute police reports and push for their release.
During the hearing, one of the boys’ mothers sat in the gallery and was visibly emotional as attorneys argued that her son should not be held in an adult jail.
But the judge wasn’t moved to act and set a date for a future hearing on that matter.
“It’s not true!” one mother said after the hearing ended.
The three suspects, ages 12, 13 and 15, were initially arrested after the alleged rape that happened on June 18, 2025, at a community garden in Miami, but records showed two of them were booked into the Metro West Detention Center on Thursday to face adult charges.
A grand jury indicted the boys on various charges, including kidnapping & false imprisonment.
According to arrest forms, one of the boys grabbed the girl and took her to a couch while the other two held her down.
The report claims one of the boys put rocks in her mouth to stop her from screaming, while another boy raped her.
The victim told detectives they finally stopped after hearing her father call her name, the report said.
Outside the courthouse, the father of one of the suspects disputed the allegations.
“He is not the child you guys are making him out to be,” he said. “This is a 12-year-old boy we are talking about. We are going to leave him in jail and put a life charge on a young man that was with the wrong two kids?”
The boys’ family is disputing the police report.
“You guys are making him out to be a rapist, which he is not,” the father said. “These allegations are bogus.”
Defense attorney Bijon Sebastian Parwaresch said he entered not guilty pleas on all charges for his client, as did the attorney for another teen.
“We both will be fighting hard to get our clients out of jail,” he said.
For now, the boys will remain in custody until an Arthur Hearing on March 18, where a judge will decide whether they will continue to be prosecuted and held as adults.
The 15-year-old also faces sexual battery charges. His case was reset and transferred to another judge.