A 14-year-old boy was arrested Saturday in Chicago and charged for his role in the alleged gang rape of a 15-year-old girl in March. That gang rape was livestreamed on Facebook Live. The boy has not been named by police due to his age. However Anthony Guglielimi, a spokesmen for the Chicago Police, says the teenager has been charged with aggravated criminal assault along with the manufacturing and dissemination of child pornography.
It was further stated that Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson has a news conference scheduled on Sunday to discuss more details of the still ongoing investigation.
Missing Chicago teen raped live on Facebook
Blasting News reported on the story of the 15-year-old girl, who was missing from her home for three days. Reportedly after a relative saw the live footage online, the mother of the missing teenager took screen captures of the footage to the Chicago Police, who were then successful in tracking down the girl.
The video footage was removed from Facebook, but only after dozens of people watched the group rape, with no one reporting the crime.
After the story hit the media, the teenager's family were hit with death threats, both online and also in their own home, with people ringing their doorbell and asking to see the teenage girl. At the time the girl was too scared to return home and was staying elsewhere.
More arrests to come in livestreamed group rape case
Chicago police announced on March 21 that they were seeking five or six males involved in the sexual assault on the girl. So far only one has been charged, the 14-year-old boy in question. As reported by ABC News, Guglielimi posted on Twitter to say they had arrested the first of several juvenile offenders in the Facebook Live sexual assault.
Guglielimi later stated that additional arrests are expected to be made as their investigations continue.
Chicago police also said in a statement that they are working with the City of Chicago and the State Attorney's Office to give support to the teenager's family and ensure her continued well-being and safety.
As noted by USA Today, news relating to Facebook Live footage has been in the media a lot recently, most particularly in the case of the Minnesota police officer, charged for shooting a motorist, Philando Castile. The incident was streamed live by Diamond Reynolds, Castile's girlfriend, who was in the car at the time of the incident. The trial of Jeronimo Yanez, the officer in question, is expected to start on May 30 with the footage in question being part of the prosecutor's evidence.