Nelson Nunez, left, looks back as he and Jusiah Jones exit the courtroom after a hearing related to the rape of a 12-year-old girl. The boys appeared in Judge Richard Hersch’s courtroom for a bond hearing on Wednesday, March 18, 2026, at the Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building in Miami, Florida.
Carl Juste
cjuste@miamiherald.com
A Miami police detective on Thursday afternoon recounted how the 12-year-old girl who was allegedly raped by three boys — now charged as adults — told him she was pinned down and sexually assaulted at a community garden in Overtown.
The testimony came as Nelson Nunez, 13, and Jusiah Jones, 12, appeared in court for the second day of their Arthur hearing, which allows judges to consider setting bonds for defendants charged with crimes that aren’t normally eligible for bail.
Prosecutors are seeking to keep Nunez and Jones behind bars as they await trial, citing the gravity of their charges.
Nunez, Jones and Xavier Tyson, 15, are charged with sexual battery, kidnapping and false imprisonment. Their cases are being handled in adult court before Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Richard Hersch.
READ MORE: Boys accused in gang rape of 12-year-old girl ask judge to let them out of jail
All three boys have pleaded not guilty.
The Special Victims Unit detective said the victim recognized and identified all the boys, who were living in the same apartment complex.
Before the attack on June 18, 2025, the boys were joking with her, the detective said in his testimony. The girl said she ended up being dragged into the garden area of the Green Haven Project community, 1160 NW Second Ave.
The boys then threw her onto a couch, and Tyson and Jones pinned her down by her arms, according to the detective. When she started screaming, Jones stuffed small brown rocks from the ground in her mouth.
Jones appeared to tear up as the detective testified.
Then, Tyson touched her body, and Nunez raped her, the detective testified. The girl said she told the boys to stop and continued screaming, but Jones and Tyson shoved more rocks in her mouth.
A fourth boy, who was present but didn’t participate in the assault, said Jones placed the rocks in the girl’s mouth after Nunez and Tyson told him to do so, according to the detective. That boy, who hasn’t been charged, said he didn’t intervene because he “was afraid of getting beat up.”
Jusiah Jones, center, looks at his family members while he and Nelson Nunez, right, attend their bond hearing in Judge Richard Hersch’s courtroom on Wednesday, March 18, 2026, at the Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building in Miami, Florida.. They are two of the three boys charged as adults in the rape of a 12-year-old girl. Carl Juste cjuste@miamiherald.com
In a statement a month later, the victim said Nunez and Tyson “forced” Jones to put the rocks in her mouth by threatening to punch him, the detective testified.
The horrifying ordeal lasted about 30 minutes, the girl told police, only ending after the boys ran away when they heard the victim’s father calling out her name in the distance.
When the girl was reunited with her father, she didn’t immediately tell him what had unfolded, the detective said. She told the detective she was “afraid of getting in trouble for being out so late.”
The detective acknowledged that there were several inconsistencies in the statements of witnesses, the boys and the victim.
But for the detectives, they all pointed to one thing — that Nunez, Jones and Tyson were involved in the attack.
Attorney pleads for release
Arguing that Nunez should be released from jail, attorney Bijan Parwaresch said the teen had never been arrested before and had no prior contact with the justice system. He called several of Nunez’s loved ones to testify.
“His age is something special here,” the attorney said.
Testifying in Spanish, Nelson Nunez Sr. said he and his wife have tried to keep their son out of trouble by scheduling a “full program” of school followed by four hours of basketball and soccer practice.
Jusiah Jones, center, looks at his family members while he and Nelson Nunez, right, attend a bond hearing in Judge Richard Hersch’s courtroom on Wednesday, March 18, 2026, at the Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building in Miami, Florida. Carl Juste cjuste@miamiherald.com
Nunez Sr. wiped tears from his eyes as he spoke. He described his son as a “follower” and said Tyson and Jones are not boys with whom Nunez usually hangs out.
Nunez Jr., his father added, apologized to the victim — and demonstrated remorse after the assault.
If Nunez is released, Nunez Sr., Nunez’s mother, Erika Suazo, and other relatives will work together to supervise him around the clock, the boy’s parents said in court.
The hearing will continue on Monday morning.
This story was originally published March 19, 2026 at 4:38 PM.
Miami Herald
Grethel covers courts and the criminal justice system for the Miami Herald. She graduated from the University of Florida (Go Gators!), speaks Spanish and Arabic and loves animals, traveling, basketball and good storytelling. Grethel also attends law school part time.