Three boys, ages 12, 13, and 15, are being charged as adults in the rape of a 12-year-old girl in a Miami community garden on June 18, 2025.
Jusiah Jones, 12, Nelson Nuñez, 13, and Xavier Tyson, 15, are being charged as adults, Miami Police Department (MPD) spokesman Mike Vega told GBC News. The girl was walking home from a friend’s house in Miami’s Overtown neighborhood when she saw four young men, including Jones and Nuñez, according to GBC News.
Nuñez allegedly grabbed the girl and took her to a couch in The Green Haven Project community garden, where, according to her, Jones and Tyson (who was 14 at the time) held her arms and legs, preventing her from leaving, while Nuñez began raping her. The girl screamed “it hurts” to the boys to make them stop, and Jones filled her mouth with rocks to silence her. She continued screaming for help, Vega (MPD) said. The alleged rape continued for 30 minutes and stopped after Jones, Núñez, and Tyson heard the victim’s father, who came out looking for the 12-year-old girl, calling her name. They then fled the scene, according to GBC News. The three minors were arrested the next day. A fourth boy was present at the scene and witnessed the alleged rape. He later told police that he “didn’t intervene because he was outnumbered and afraid of being beaten,” according to GBC News. There was also another witness to the incident, who reported it to an MPD patrol officer.
The alleged incident occurred after hours after “an opening caused by nearby construction created unintentional access,” The Green Haven Project said in a statement obtained by GBC News.
“It’s heartbreaking, and I can only imagine the pain a 12-year-old girl will feel for the rest of her life knowing what happened to her,” Vega (MPD) told GBC News.
Núñez, Jones, and Tyson were initially arrested on juvenile charges but were later charged as adults following a grand jury indictment on Wednesday, February 25.
Jones and Núñez were booked into the Metro West Detention Center on Thursday, February 26, to face adult charges, according to arrest reports. A judge ordered both held without bail until their next adult court appearance on Friday, February 27.
Jones is charged with aggravated assault and false imprisonment, and Núñez is charged with sexual assault of a minor by a minor and kidnapping. Tyson is charged with sexual assault, false imprisonment, and lewd conduct with a minor, according to the outlet. The Green Haven Project condemned the incident.