Mother of Washington man beaten to death faces trial against accused murderers

WASHINGTON – On Friday, Reggie Brown's 90-year-old mother sat in the courtroom surrounded by her daughters, granddaughter and great-granddaughter as she listened to testimony from D.C. Police Detective Steven Hines and two others.

Brown was found beaten to death in the 6200 block of Georgia Avenue Northwest on the evening of October 17, 2023. Five teenage girls face multiple charges, including second-degree murder, in connection with his death.

RELATED: Prosecutors say teenage girls filmed themselves beating a man to death before turning the camera around to take selfies

Brown's mother thought for a moment before explaining how she felt in the courtroom on Friday.

“I'm sad,” she said. “They're children…but they've got to give these children tough love. They've got to get it to save them, because right now Satan has them in his hands.”

Brown's family has said in the past that they want to try the girls as adults, but because they are minors, they will be tried in juvenile court and their identities will not be released.

Judge Kendra Briggs has also asked reporters covering the case not to disclose any information that would reveal the identities of the girls, their families, their medical histories or their schools.

Malda Brown is one of Reggie's older sisters who has been in the courtroom all week. She has been vocal about what justice will look like for her family.

“They should all be held accountable, and I mean they must be held accountable,” she said. “We just want justice. As long as it's done fairly, it's going to be a good day for America.”

Family members this week expressed their disdain for the teenage girls and called for consequences.

“As long as they can hide behind their youth, they will continue to do this and harm other families,” Malda said. “We want everyone to be held accountable for what they have done to them. And that will send the message that you can't just carry on like this just because you are young.”

Reggie's mother just hopes the community remembers her son and how much he is loved.

“Everyone knows him because he's a fixture on Georgia Avenue, and everyone was so shocked and surprised at what happened to him,” she explained. “People still don't understand why these kids would be out at that time of night and just take his life.”

She tells WUSA9 that Reggie was “really strong.” He battled lupus, a chronic autoimmune disease, but beat cancer and COVID-19.

The trial against two of the teenagers is scheduled to begin in early September.