‘Jena Six’ Teenager Pleads Guilty

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Mychal Bell, 17, was charged as an adult with attempted murder in the beating of Justin Barker in December 2006. That charge was reduced before a jury convicted him in June of aggravated second-degree battery. An appeals court threw the verdict out in September and ordered Bell retried as a juvenile.

Under his deal, Bell pleaded guilty to a juvenile charge of second-degree battery in return for an 18-month sentence, with credit for 10 months already served. Bell had faced being placed in a juvenile facility until his 21st birthday.

Bell also must pay court costs plus $935 to Barker’s family, testify should his co-defendants in the attack stand trial, undergo counseling and be reintegrated into the school system, his lawyers said.

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The charges against Bell and five other black students, who became known as the “Jena Six,” led to a civil rights demonstration in Jena in September. Felony charges against the other students are pending.

LaSalle Parish District Attorney Reed Walters said he is pleased with the deal “because Mr. Barker is beginning to get the restitution and compensation he’s due.”

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