New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
Records: Woman charged in assault of teen relative also arrested in drug sting
WEST HAVEN — One of the women charged in the New London beating of a 13-year-old family member was served with an arrest warrant one day after the attack in connection with a June 2023 drug sting, court records show.
Keosha Muriel, 29, of West Haven, was served with an arrest warrant April 30 charging her with the sale of narcotics and possession of a controlled substance in connection with a sting done by West Haven police in June 2023, an arrest warrant indicates.
On the day she was arrested on the drug charges, New London police launched an investigation into a video showing her and her sister Idinah Muriel, 32, of New London, had orchestrated and participated in the beating of a 13-year-old female family member, according to a separate arrest warrant served by New London police on May 6.
In the drug case, Keosha Muriel is accused of selling a quantity of crack cocaine to a “cooperating witness” who agreed to make the buy as part of a police investigation into the illegal sale of narcotics in a Main Street apartment building in West Haven, police said in an arrest warrant. It is unclear why the drug warrant was served on the same day the video of the beating came to light.
Keosha Muriel will appear virtually during a remote hearing on May 21 to address the drug charges in state Superior Court in Milford.
Keosha and Idinah Muriel are now being held on $100,000 bond after charged with several offenses, including risk of injury to a child, cruelty to persons and second-degree reckless endangerment. Keosha Muriel was also charged with thirddegree assault, first-degree unlawful restraint and second-degree breach of peace. Idinah Muriel was also charged with conspiracy to commit those crimes, according to police.
A judge has barred both women from contact with the 13-year-old and
DCF is investigating the “disturbing and violent” attack with police, officials said. On Tuesday, the father of Keosha Muriel’s children filed a motion in court seeking emergency custody of the children, but a judge denied the request until a hearing can be held on May 20, court documents showed.
In the beating incident, 10 minors, ages 12 to 15, were issued summons for various offenses, including fourth-degree sexual assault and conspiracy to commit risk of injury to a child.
The school vice principal contacted police the morning of April 30 after she saw a video of the beating that had been posted on social media, the warrant said. The attack occurred in a Colman Street parking lot on April 29 around 6:10 p.m., police said. It was filmed by a participant and captured the two women watching the attack unfold without intervening, police said.
According to the warrants, the video showed the girl’s assailants choking her, kneeling on her neck, spitting on her, sexually assaulting her and attempting to water board her while pinning her to the ground. She was chased and pulled out of a car by two of the juveniles as part of the attack, the warrants said.
The girl also at various points said she couldn’t breathe as she was being choked and as one of the juveniles sat on her chest, according to the warrants.
Idinah and Keosha Muriel witnessed the attack, but did nothing to intervene, the warrants said. At times, Keosha Muriel participated in the assault by whipping the 13-yearold with a phone charger cord, police said in the warrant.