2 Enter Not Guilty Pleas
SANTA MONICA — Two juveniles facing trial as adults for allegedly beating to death a 12-year-old boy who lived in their Calabasas group home pleaded not guilty to murder charges Monday.
Brandon Sewell and Gregory Smith were 16 and 17, respectively, when they allegedly beat and kicked Rodney Haynes to death Aug. 27, 1997. They left him in a dumpster behind a convenience store at Agoura and Las Virgenes roads, a mile from their Passageways home.
Investigators said the pair confessed to the killing. Sewell allegedly told investigators he beat Rodney because he mouthed off.
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