Trial date set in Phoenix for 14-year-old suspect in rape of 8-year-old Liberian girl

Trial date set for suspect in Liberian girl’s rape

PHOENIX — A Phoenix court commissioner has set a trial date for a teenage suspect in the alleged gang-rape of an 8-year-old Liberian girl.

The 14-year-old boy appeared in Maricopa County Superior Court in Phoenix for a pretrial conference Monday. A judge set a Dec. 8 trial date for the boy, who is charged as an adult and remains in custody.

He faces charges of kidnapping, sexual assault, sexual conduct with a minor and attempt to commit sexual conduct with a minor.

Police allege the 14-year-old and three other boys, ages 10 to 13, lured the girl to an empty storage shed July 16 and raped her. The other boys are also facing charges.

The suspects and the victim are Liberian immigrants.