Girl Charged in Ratley Beating Going Home
Kayla Manson to be charged as juvenile, released to parents
The 13-year-old girl charged with helping suspect Wayne Treacy find 15-year-old Josie Lou Ratley before he mercilessly beat her nearly to death will be going home, a judge ruled Friday.
Kayla Manson, who has been in a juvenile detention center since the March 17 attack outside Deerfield Beach Middle School, will be released to her parents today after prosecutors decided to charge her as a juvenile.
Manson is still being charged as a principal to the attempted murder of Ratley, it was revealed during her Friday court appearance.
Ratley and Manson were friends, family members said, and Ratley's objections over Manson dating Treacy may have been what nearly got her killed.
According to police, Treacy, 15, and Ratley didn't know each other until they began exchanging text messages shortly before the attack.
Ratley allegedly objected -- through the texts -- to Treacy and Manson dating, and made a reference to Treacy's brother's suicide.
Police said that enraged Treacy, so much so that he donned all black clothes and steel-toed boots and went to the school looking for Ratley.
Treacy found Manson, who allegedly pointed Ratley out to him.
Last month, Manson's attorney claimed Treacy didn't need help finding Ratley, and that Manson had no idea the attack was going to happen.
"It's our understanding, first off, that Kayla was not instrumental in what happened," attorney Jonathon Marne said. "We believe that information will come out that Mr. Treacy actually knew who Josie was, through pictures, through communications and such."
Treacy will learn whether he'll be charged as a juvenile or adult next week.
