Brian Gaither and Johnnie Sweets have rejected plea offers from the government that would cap their potential sentences at 38 years for the murder of 18-year-old Latisha Frazier.
The two, now 24 and 18 years old respectively, are charged with first-degree murder in the case. If convicted, Judge William Jackson said, they could be sentenced to “well above” 38 years in prison.
Police and prosecutors believe that Frazier was the victim of a brutal attack by six people. According to court documents, the 18-year-old was beaten, stomped, bound, taped, gagged, prodded and choked. Her head was covered with a sheet. Tossed into a closet, she finally died. Her body was thrown into a dumpster and hasn’t been found, though it’s believed to be in a landfill.
A trial is scheduled for November of this year.
