CLEVELAND, Ohio — Tuesday marks the second day of the trial involving two children accused in the brutal assault of a 5-year-old girl in a field.
On trial are a now 10-year-old boy, who the court has identified as “MB,” and a now 11-year-old girl identified as “MH” to protect their identities. At the time of the incident, both children were a year younger.
On Monday, “MB” accepted a plea deal, admitting to felonious assault and attempted rape. He also agreed to cooperate and testify in MH’s case.
Tuesday, the court heard testimony from the 5-year-old victim's mother, Antavia Kennibrew, as well as the family member the child was staying with and the professionals investigating the case.
Much of today’s testimony focused on the victim’s injuries, including missing hair, bite marks, and bruising, among others that are too disturbing to share.
Once again, we want to warn viewers that some of the details in this story may be graphic.
The first witness called was Kennibrew, who detailed how she found her daughter on Sept. 13 and what the child told her.
“She kept saying she killed me, she killed me,” said Kennibrew. “She said these kids hurt her…she said MH was the one beating her face."
The court also heard a recording of Kennibrew speaking with her daughter in the hospital the day of the attack, during which the child described other things that happened to her and again accused MH.
Kennibrew broke down on the stand multiple times while looking at evidence shown in court and recalling the condition she found her daughter in. She also described how the assault changed her once bubbly 5-year-old daughter.
“I had a whole different child,” Kennibrew said. “When we left the hospital, she started showing severe behavior changes. She kept saying she wanted to kill herself, she’s not pretty anymore and that the earth is a bad place. She wouldn’t even play with her brother anymore. She would just lock her door and lay in her bed. She just wasn’t herself anymore.”
The prosecution then called Nicole Wilburn, the family member the 5-year-old was staying with when the assault happened. Wilburn told the court the victim snuck outside to play, and when she realized the child was missing, Wilburn began searching for her. More than half an hour later, after getting directions from other children, she found the 5-year-old in a field.
“I saw her laying there curled up and she wasn’t responding. She wasn’t doing anything. She was all bruised and dirty and wet,” said the family member.
Wilburn later testified she confronted MH’s grandmother the day of the attack because she believed MH was responsible. The court then heard a 911 call from the grandmother, who said MH did not participate in the attack.
“The woman came by here telling me MH did this; they said MH did this to this little girl and left her in the field. No, my baby didn’t do that; I am for sure she didn’t do that,” MH’s grandmother told the dispatcher in the 911 call played in court.
During those conversations, MH sank into her chair and laid her head on the table, at times looking back toward her grandmother who sat behind her.
Meanwhile on the other side of the courtroom sat the victim’s family, visibly emotional as they saw evidence and repeatedly heard testimony about the injuries the victim suffered.
Wednesday, the prosecution will continue calling witnesses to the stand, including MB, who agreed to testify and cooperate in the case. That took place Monday when MB took a plea and admitted to felonious assault and attempted rape.
The charges
On Oct. 15, 2025, the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office announced that the then 10-year-old girl and a 9-year-old boy were charged with allegedly assaulting the 5-year-old girl in a wooded area off East 148th Street in September 2025.
They were charged with:
- One count of attempted murder
- Four counts of rape
- Two counts of felonious assault
- One count of kidnapping
- One count of strangulation
The other charges the boy was facing were dropped amid his plea change.
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What happened?
The 5-year-old's mother, Antavia Kennibrew, said she dropped her daughter off at a family member's home on Sept. 13, 2025. Later that day, she received a phone call saying her daughter had left the house on her own and was missing.
A police report stated that a witness saw three juveniles, whom police previously said in a statement were all under the age of 10, take her to a wooded area in the 1000 block of East 148th Street and physically and sexually assault her.
The specifics of the assault are too disturbing to share, but details in the police report support Kennibrew's claim that her daughter was viciously attacked.
Kennibrew said she met her daughter after the incident in an ambulance, and the girl was unconscious and covered in dirt, blood and bruises.
The Cleveland Division of Police Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Unit investigated the case.
WATCH MORE ABOUT THE CASE:
Nadeen Abusada is a Cuyahoga County and immigration reporter at News 5 Cleveland. Follow her on Instagram NadeenAbusada or email her at Nadeen.Abusada@wews.com.
