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Thursday, June 21, 2012

Mother of Teen Set Afire Speaks About 2009 Attack

Michael Brewer still suffers vivid nightmares from the attack by former middle school classmates who doused him with alcohol and set him on fire in 2009, his mother said in an interview Wednesday.

"He wakes up screaming, thinking that he is still on fire. And it takes a long time to get him calmed down and get him back to sleep," Valerie Brewer told The Associated Press.

Brewer, now 17, suffered severe burns over 65 percent of his body but survived after leaping into an apartment complex swimming pool. He spent months in the hospital, undergoing seven skin graft operations, followed by months of rehabilitation and physical therapy.

On Tuesday, jurors convicted 17-year-old Matthew "Zeke" Bent of aggravated battery for the attack that claimed national headlines. Bent is to be sentenced July 23. Conviction on the charge carries a maximum of 15 years in prison.

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1 comment:

Anonymous said...

15 years for willingly setting someone on fire....he deserves 30 at least. The boy who he set on fire will never have the same life again why should he be able to get out of jail before the age of 30.