Authorities say something ugly and illegal happened in July in what is normally an idyllic corner of Cape Cod.
Prosecutors say a 14-year-old white boy named Jack Sheeran allegedly lured a black teen he knew to Goose Pond in Chatham, Massachusetts, through a message he sent her.
When the black teen arrived, witnesses told police that 14-year-old Sheeran used racial slurs and threw rocks before chasing his alleged target, who could not swim but was wearing a life jacket, into the water. . At a court hearing earlier this month, a prosecutor described what the black teen told authorities.
“This young man, named Jack Sheeran, grabbed his life jacket and pulled him under the water and repeatedly swung him back and forth about four to five times. While doing this, water got into the victim’s mouth and nose and he lost his breath. Couldn’t take it.” ” said Eileen Moriarty, assistant district attorney for the Cape and Islands.
Sheeran has been charged as a young offender with attempted murder and assault with a dangerous weapon. In Massachusetts, this means he or she is being treated as an adult.
Authorities say Sheeran also tried to pull the black teen under the water by moving his legs from below. Sheeran was back in court on Wednesday. His lawyer has called this incident a farce.
“This young man had no intention of killing his friend,” Sheeran’s defense attorney Kevin Reddington said.
But the case has shocked many people in Cape Cod. Local media reported that the area school district sent an email saying the alleged attack “is completely contrary to our values as a school district and as a community.”
Sheeran has been released to his father and is wearing a GPS device as part of his bond.