Fatal attack near camp for homeless.

Orlando teen admits beating homeless man
Willoughby Mariano | Sentinel Staff Writer
November 13, 2008
One of six Orlando teens charged with beating a homeless man so badly he died of his injuries pleaded no contest to a manslaughter charge Wednesday.

With his stepfather, mother, sister and a teacher looking on, Brenton Mack, 16, acknowledged in Circuit Court that he took part in the attack two years ago on August Felix, 54, near a downtown homeless encampment.

Police said the teens beat Felix for fun. The transient had no money and did not threaten the youths before the attack March 26, 2006, authorities said. The attack left the man paralyzed from the waist down. He spent about a month in the hospital before dying May 1, 2006.

When no friends or relatives stepped forward to claim the body, he was given a pauper's burial.

Mack, who was 13 when the beating took place, said nothing about it during Wednesday's hearing.

The teen was originally charged with second-degree murder and could have faced life in prison if convicted. Circuit Judge Stan Strickland set Mack's sentencing for Dec. 18.

Central Florida has a reputation for being a dangerous place for the homeless. A study released in April by the National Coalition for the Homeless and the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty listed Florida as the leading state for attacks on the homeless.

"Bum bashing," the beating of homeless men for sport, typically by teenage boys, pushed the number of fatal attacks up 40 percent last year.

There were 29 attacks on homeless people in Florida during 2007. Six were fatal, according to the report. The study tracked reports of attacks on transients by people who are not homeless.

Felix was attacked on West America Street near Sylvia Lane, close to an encampment razed by the city in 2007.

The six teens were students at Jones High School, Boone High School and Howard Middle School at the time. None was thought to have been in a gang.

Co-defendant Deangelo D. Stephenson, 18, pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the case and was sentenced to three years in prison plus probation. Roshad Levon Smith, 17, pleaded no contest to the same charge and received the same sentence. Devon Stephens, 17, is expected to plead Friday.

Trial is set for Johnnie Hastings, 17, and Arsenio T. Dennison, 18, on Dec. 1.

During Wednesday's hearing, Strickland allowed Mack's stepfather to stand with him in front of the judge because the teen was frightened. The pair wore matching red golf shirts.

Mack's attorney, Marc Consalo, asked that the teen be allowed to finish the semester at Jones High before beginning his sentence. Over objections from Assistant State Attorney Frank George, Strickland granted the request.

"All things considered, we've been waiting this long," Strickland said.

Mack and his family would not comment after the hearing.


Willoughby Mariano can be reached at wmariano@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5171.