LAKELAND -- The eight teens accused of taking part in the videotaped beating of a 16-year-old will all be charged as adults.
The teens, who range in age from 14 to 18, are charged with kidnapping and battery for the attack in Polk County, and face life in prison because of Thursday’s decision.
Deputies said six girls beat the 16-year-old girl while two boys stayed outside the home and served as lookouts.
The judge also recently issued a gag order in the case because he was frustrated that the parents of the victim and some suspects were talking to the media, along with the amount of details the Polk County Sheriff's Office was releasing about the case.
The Polk County attack made national headlines after video surfaced showing a 16-year-old cheerleader being attacked for 30 minutes.
At one point in the video, the beaten girl was knocked unconscious, and was later seen pleading to be let out of the house.
The attack was allegedly in response to insults the victim posted on a MySpace.com page.
The sheriff's office said that after the attack, three of the teens forced the victim into a vehicle and drove her to another location, where she was told she would be given a worse beating if she called police.
The victim's father said a number of videos were recorded and that the teens intended to post it on YouTube.com.
The girl is still recovering from a concussion and has lost some vision and hearing. She said she won't be returning to public school because of what happened.
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