Jury begins deliberating in Fla. burned teen case

Jury begins deliberating in Fla. burned teen case

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A jury is deliberating the case of a South Florida teenager accused of orchestrating an attack that left a classmate in flames.

Jurors began deliberating this afternoon on the fate of 17-year-old Matthew Bent. He is charged with attempted second-degree murder in the 2009 attack on Michael Brewer.

Prosecutors and defense attorneys rested their case earlier in the day. The defense did not call a single witness, and Bent did not testify.

Bent could get 30 years in prison if convicted. Prosecutors say he offered another boy money to pour rubbing alcohol on Brewer. A third boy set Brewer ablaze with a lighter. Those two pleaded no contest and are serving prison time.

The attack came after Bent and Brewer got into a dispute over money and Bent allegedly tried to steal a Brewer family bicycle.