Judge deciding fate of brothers Eliyahu and Avi Werdesheim, accused of beating African-American Baltimore teen

(CBS/AP) BALTIMORE - A Baltimore judge is now deciding the fates of brothers Eliyahu and Avi Werdesheim. They are charged with the beating of a black teenager while responding to a suspicious person report to a Jewish neighborhood watch.

Judge Pamela White is expected to announce her decision Thursday afternoon in the case of the Werdesheims, who are charged in the 2010 beating of a 15-year-old boy.

The brothers opted for a bench trial after withdrawing a motion to move their trial because of publicity comparing their case to the fatal shooting of black Florida teen Trayvon Martin.

Prosecutors say the brothers attacked the teen, hitting him with a radio and holding him on the ground. But Eliyahu Werdesheim testified that he acted in self-defense when the teen attacked him with a nail-studded plank.

More on Crimesider:
April 27, 2012 - Witness: Baltimore brothers Eliyahu and Avi Werdesheim followed teen before attack
April 23, 2012 - Eliyahu and Avi Werdesheim, Jewish brothers accused of beating African-American Baltimore teenager, seek to postpone trial