6 Arrests In Alleged Torture Case In W.Va.

Victim Is Black, Suspects Are White; Cops Consider Hate Crime Charges

(CBS/AP)  Authorities said Tuesday they are considering hate crime charges in the case of a woman who was tortured while being held captive for at least a week, and they are investigating the possibility that she was lured by a man she met on the Internet.

The victim was repeatedly called a racial slur while her captors sexually abused, beat and stabbed her, her mother said.

Six people, all white, including a mother and son and a mother and daughter, were arrested in connection with the alleged abduction of the 20-year-old black woman.

"I don't understand a human being doing another human being the way they did my daughter," Carmen Williams said Tuesday from her daughter's room at Charleston Area Medical Center General Hospital. "I didn't know there were people like that out here."

Megan Williams, with a cast on her arm, spoke barely above a whisper.

"I'm better," she said.

The Associated Press generally does not identify suspected victims of sexual assault, but Williams and her mother agreed to release her name.

A prosecutor said police are investigating the possibility that the victim was lured to the house where she was attacked by a man she met on the internet, but Carmen Williams insisted that wasn't the case. "This wasn't from the Internet," she said.

Deputies also interviewed the victim Tuesday morning. State, local and federal officials planned to meet later in the day to decide whether to file hate crime charges, Logan County sheriff's Sgt. Sonya Porter said. An FBI spokesman in Pittsburgh, Bill Crowley, confirmed that the agency is looking into possible civil rights violations.

The woman's abductors called her the N-word "every time they stabbed her," Carmen Williams told The Charleston Gazette earlier.

Authorities were still looking for two people they believe drove the woman to the house where she was abused, said Logan County Chief Deputy V.K. Dingess.

The case is "something that would have come out of a horror movie," Logan County Sheriff W.E. Hunter said.

Deputies found Williams on Saturday when they went to the house in Big Creek, about 35 miles southwest of Charleston, to investigate an anonymous tip from someone who had witnessed the abuse, Porter said Tuesday.

One of the suspects, Frankie Brewster, was sitting on the front porch and told deputies she was alone, but moments later the woman limped toward the door, her arms outstretched, saying "Help me," the sheriff's department said in a news release.

Carmen Williams said doctors told her daughter she may be well enough to leave the hospital within a few days, although a nurse said the young woman's condition was listed as "under evaluation."

"I just want my daughter to be well and recover," Carmen Williams said. "I know the Lord can do anything."

Besides being sexually assaulted, the woman was stabbed four times in the left leg and beaten, Porter said. Her eyes were black and blue. The wounds were inflicted at least a week ago, deputies said.

The woman was forced to eat rat and dog feces and drink from a toilet, according to the criminal complaint filed in magistrate court. She also had been choked with a cord, it alleges.

She was made to lick parts of Brewster’s body, under the threat of death, according to The Charleston Gazette. Her hair was pulled out. She was sexually assaulted while hot water was poured on her body, and while a man held a knife to her, the paper reported.

One of those arrested, Karen Burton, is accused of cutting the woman's ankle with a knife. She used the N-word in telling the woman she was victimized because she is black, according to the criminal complaint.

The six suspects were arrested Saturday and Sunday. Deputies were still trying to determine whether the woman knew her assailants, Porter said.

Brewster, the 49-year-old who owns the home where the alleged attacks occurred, is charged with kidnapping, sexual assault, malicious wounding and giving false information during a felony investigation.

Her son, Bobby R. Brewster, 24, also of Big Creek, is charged with kidnapping, sexual assault, malicious wounding and assault during the commission of a felony.

Burton, 46, of Chapmanville, is charged with malicious wounding, battery and assault during the commission of a felony.

Her daughter Alisha Burton, 23, of Chapmanville, and George A. Messer, 27, of Chapmanville, are charged with assault during the commission of a felony and battery.

Danny J. Combs, 20, of Harts, is charged with sexual assault and malicious wounding.

All six remained in custody Tuesday in lieu of $100,000 bail each, and all have asked for court-appointed attorneys.

[klmanjaro]

Posted by brooklynn89 at 11:35 AM : Sep 13, 2007
That''s the problem brooklynn89, we don''t talk about it. It will only get worse if we don''t deal with it

[klmanjaro]

You hit the nail on the head precious with your comment. Only problem is Europeans have practiced this hatred since the beginning of time. George Bush did''nt start this; it was common place in slavery and still is today. This has been a way of life here in America and fully endorsed by the government becuase they''ve always totally ignored it. They just can''t sanction it anymore legally. It''s more widespread than you think, the news simply chooses not to report it. They''d rather put Brittany Spears, lindsay Lohan and Nicole Richie on the front pages. Remember it''s all about money and blacks have "never" counted in this society; it reflects in the treatment we receive everyday form this racist system.
Precious_Thi at 07:17 PM : Sep 12, 2007ince the US government legalized torture on suspected "enemy combatants," now our fellow citizens "think it''''s ok to torture anyone they do not like. This is the end result of Bush''''s policies - barbarism."

[grammawhamma]

That poor woman...those that tortured her and treated her that way are the lowest form of life. This story sickens me. (I agree that they look like meth users.)

God bless you Megan...I hope you can heal from the horrors you have experienced.

[klmanjaro]

Is anyone really surprised by these demonic acts of violence nad torture? This is what the hate mongers specialize in; the vicious attacks on defenseless minorities. If you are, where have you been the last 1000 years? Didn''t you know that racial diversity training in this country is non existent. These people like tens of millions more were taught this hatred in the womb. This is a generational tradition carried through the centuries. I''ve always wondered how people obtain the capacity for hatred on this scale. When you really look at the situation and history itself ask yourself these questions. Who heads the list on mass murderers, serial rapists,
serial killers, child killers, spousal killers, children that committ mass murders at school and kill their parents as they sleep,people who rape and murder children, people who invented the bombs of mass destruction and who have killed and slaughtered hundreds of millions in their quest for world domination. think about it. It wasn''t black people.........we fear God and tremble in his wrath. I wonder what God these other folk worship. osei

[nina1940]

It is sad that six kids in a less harsh situation and who were provoked can be charged with attempted murder, and these sickos are being charged with malicious wounding and assault.

[lestriumph]

to brooklyn, I read where you wrote "I hate to keep bringing up the race thing....", look, do not make blind Americans make you feel guilty for calling race issues where you see them. All of us know, black and white, that if the tables were turn and if black men were raping and torturing a precious young white innocent college girl...all hell would break loose in America, and you wouldn''t have to wait a week to hear about it!

[lestriumph]

I find it interesting how some people avidly deny racism even when it is as blatant as the letters on this screen. These ignorant animals, kidnapped a black woman, degraded her in every way imaginable, called her racial slurs while stabbing her, and even told her she was being victimized because she was black, so if that is not racism, then enlighten me PLEASE...*** IS RACSIM THEN????

And you think the outcome would have been the same if these were black people? Omg you''ve got to be joking! For hell''s sake, the country made a bigger deal out of Michael Vick and his dog fights than they are making of this!

[gheemaster38]

Vengence is NOT justice. These people shall have their day in court, and the verdicts shall show. Will they be convicted, or will they be vendicated. Like all citizens, they are assumed innocent until proven guilty. Hope the DA is better than Nifong.
Posted by Klingon69 at 04:24 PM : Sep 11, 2007


Vengence works better then Justice in some cases...Especially if the party is guilty. i dont care if she was on drugs hooking or whatever, What gave them the right to do what they did? Then sit on the porch and lie to the cops about it. I am not saying that vengence is the best solution; but we all know that Justice can be buried in a tribunal of laws and trickery..(remember: "If the glove dont fit, you must acquit?") Vengence is more swift and dont have things like technicalities.. or mistrials.. is vengence a better way? Only in cases of this kind og magnitude.... where the person is guilty. and please dont tell me that that isnt proven.. The person is in the hospital.. with all the evidence all over her body from those sick ***!!!

[gheemaster38]

Looking at these six I honestly believe if she had been "white" It would have been the same outcome. They may have used racial slurs but I dont think that was the primary reason she was targeted. Some how I am suspecting inbreeding but that is another story. Check the histories of these and I am sure there will be other "oddities" in their pass. Thye need to be locked up and studied.. Maybe someone can find a cure for their mental deficency.

[brooklynn89]

you know this is a really sick world that we live in ...and a very unfair one at that..what this woman went through was just sick and the fact that they are not charging this as a hate crime is insane ...i hate to always bring up the race thing but there are so many siuations like this that i cant help but to bring it up..if it were 6 african american people and a white victim the case would have been on every channel and it would have been considered a hate crime..now they are saying she met them on the internet to me thats bringing down the victims character and basically saying well this is why that happened to her....its sad because it changes how you look at certain groups of people...i just pray for the victim and her family as well as those sick racist *** and i hope they get what they deserve!!!

[kelly652]

My prayers are with Megan Williams, she will have a long road ahead of her to recovery, if she ever does. These people who tortured her are brutal and sadistic creatures and I think each of them should be given life in prison without parole. They are so evil and I can''t help but think of the movie, ''The hills have eyes''.

[lestriumph]

Why is there even bickering on this forum? I thought we could at least agree that all of these people involved in torturing this woman are animals who deserve nothing but the worst.

[luvny-2009]

This is by far one of the most disgusting things I have ever read. Is it really 2007? These animals must be inbreds!

[chigirl000]

It''s obvious that these sick indiviuals are on drugs. By the looks of the older mothers, it appears to be meth. Reguardless of the race of the victim, what these people did was sick, twisted, and disgusting. They need to be locked up without a key.

[klingon69]

As someone else suggested, all hell would have broken out if 6 black people had cut, stabbed, humiliated and raped a white woman for an entire
week, no less. The W. Va. police would have gone besserk and the media would have had no problem in plastering it all over the networks.
Posted by B21239 at 09:32 PM : Sep 11, 2007
Like the blascks guys that captured and held a young white couple in Tenn? Raping both and then murdering them, where is the hell breaking out on that? Where is any story on CBS about it? I never saw one.

[klingon69]

The W. Va. police would have gone besserk and the media would have had no problem in plastering it all over the networks.
Posted by B21239 at 09:32 PM : Sep 11, 2007
Rarely do all crimes get media attention. Only usually the most heinous garner any spotlight time. Or if someone with national clout or influence bring it up. I have personally seen crimes committed both across racial lines and within racial lines, that never get published. Buy a police scanner and listen, then try to find references to anything you heard in the next days paper.
Another thing that never will get published is the sexual improprieties of black youths in school, when addressing young white girls. I know so many people will now jump on me saying racist, but is it racist when you not only see it happen, but also hear multiple complaints from these girls. The schools will do little or nothing to curb or curtail this behavior

[avigil2]

And evil walks the earth in West Virginia.

[tgdowd]

Since the US government legalized torture on suspected "enemy combatants," now our fellow citizens think it''s ok to torture anyone they do not like. This is the end result of Bush''s policies - barbarism.

[klingon69]

Klingon69, just interested, what do you think these six animals should be charged with, since you were vehemently for charging the six black youth from Jena, Louisiana with attempted murder.

If proven, I think they should be drawn and quartered, there is no room in this world for sick individuals who purposely held a person captive, degraded her by forced *** (rape,assault), cut, beaten...etc. If they are guilty, they should be eliminated.
As for Jena, I never said anything about trying them for murder, vehemently or otherwise. I merely asked to get more information and posed some questions, ie: was person told to leave a private party and refused to?

This crime appears to be out of retaliation for the benign beating Barker recieved, so what is this a a show of racial solidarity, beat upon a white and we''''ll target women and children in the most vile, brutal and viciousness.
*** are you talking about? What beating is this retaliation for?

These six, including two mothers, what animals, they don''''t deserve to "breath air", all six should be given lethal doses of arsenic.
Posted by kailumego1 at 07:11 PM : Sep 11, 2007
I agree, if proven guilty. I remember the venom-laced comments toward the Duke Lacrosse, when the complaint was filed. Where is the apology for them?

[erasmus6]

radiob

You know what is pathetic about you? You like to twist and turn things to make it sound like someone said something they didn''t. You manipulate things to go your way.