FULL TEXT: Latasha Speight, age 14, barely 5 feet tall and possibly facing trial as an adult for the June 16 strangulation death of a 2-year-old left in her care, began life at a disadvantage and has had nothing but hard times since, her lawyer said yesterday.
In an interview, defense attorney Harry R. Seay said his young client spent her early years in a foster home where she was beaten, and later was with an adoptive mother who may have burdened her with child-care responsibilities beyond her age.
Most recently, Seay said, Latasha was raped by a stranger from whom she sought help in finding her birth father.
Seay said he did not yet know how much emotional trauma Latasha suffered in the past and how much that played a role in the events of June 16, when, Latasha told police, she choked Tanisha Collins, 2, the granddaughter of Latasha's adoptive parents, Bea and Sam Speight.
Latasha was scheduled for a preliminary hearing yesterday before Municipal Court Judge James M. DeLeon. She appeared briefly in court, handcuffed and dressed in a crisp orange T-shirt and a skirt and vest of matching kente cloth. Her shiny hair was smoothed into bangs in the front and a braid in the back. Her expression, that blank stare teenagers wear when they would prefer to keep their feelings private.
The hearing was rescheduled for July 13 to allow time for a psychiatric evaluation.
Assistant District Attorney Randolph Williams said he could not comment on the pending case. The Speights were not in court yesterday and could not be reached by telephone.
According to police sources, Latasha argued with Bea Speight on the afternoon of the June 16. Shortly afterward, police said, when Latasha was alone with Tanisha, she put the child on the dining room floor of the Speights' Cedarbrook home and choked her. Latasha then put the body in a stroller and wheeled it to the rear of the 8400 block of Pickering Street, police said, where she left it behind a stranger's door.
Neighbors called police and rescue units, who arrived to find the child dead. Latasha returned to the scene and stood by while emergency workers attended to the body, police said. Later she gave a statement to police, sources said.
Latasha's biological sister, Mary Amos, 16, was in court yesterday with her own adoptive mother, Virgail Amos, who said she had known Latasha since she was a baby.
"She's a sweet child," Virgail Amos said outside the courtroom. "She's not a misbehaving child."
Latasha, the youngest of four children, was placed in foster care shortly after birth, according to Virgail Amos. At age 3 or 4, Amos said, Latasha was thrown down a flight of stairs and spent months in a full body cast. After that, Amos said, Latasha was placed with the Speights, who later adopted her.
Only two years ago, Amos said, Latasha learned that she had been adopted and grew increasingly concerned about finding her birth parents. She found and became close to her sister, Mary, Amos said, and through Mary, met her birth mother. But her birth father remained a mystery Latasha seemed determined to solve.
About two weeks ago, Seay said, Latasha ran away from home and wandered in West Philadelphia, where she believed her father was living. She approached a stranger and asked for help. Instead, the stranger lured Latasha to his apartment on the pretense that he knew her father, and there, Seay said,
sexually assaulted her. Seay said Latasha reported the attack and was treated at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. Detectives said they have a suspect, who is not yet in custody.
For now, Latasha will be held in the Youth Study Center, Seay said. If Latasha is bound over for trial after her preliminary hearing, a separate hearing will be scheduled to determine if she should be tried in adult or juvenile court.
"This girl's been through a lot," Seay said.
[Dianna Marder, “Girl Accused In Death Of 2-year-old Is Victim Of Abuses, Lawyer Says Latasha Speight, 14, Felt Harsh Treatment In Foster Care And Beyond, He Said. In Court, She Was Impassive.” Philadelphia Inquirer, Jun. 24, 1994]
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