(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) The father of a 12-year-old suspect facing criminal charges in connection with the rape of a child came under fire after invoking his son’s race in an apparent bid to plea for mercy.
The suspect, Jusiah Jones, is charged after a Miami grand jury accused him and 14-year-old Xavier Tyson of restraining a 12-year-old girl while a third individual, 13-year-old Nelson Nunez, allegedly raped her for approximately 30 minutes.
All three suspects were charged as adults.
Court records reviewed by Headline USA show that Jones was booked on Feb. 26 on false imprisonment charges.
"This is a 12 year old boy. A black boy!! You gonna put him in jail?!?"
Father of a 12-year-old r*pist: pic.twitter.com/QlDbFKOXrC
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) March 3, 2026
Jones allegedly restrained the girl by placing rocks on her mouth to prevent her from screaming.
Nunez was booked the same day on kidnapping charges, while no jail records were found for Tyson.
His father, Mervin Jones, drew widespread condemnation on X after invoking his son’s race while denouncing the charges as “bogus.”
“This is a 12-year-old boy we are talking about black boy,” Mervin Jones told Miami reporters inside the courthouse. “You gonna put him in jail and put a life charge on a young man, a young black man that was visiting Miami who was with the wrong two kids, a 15 and a 14-year-old.”
He added, “My son is 12 years old and has a father that takes care of him. These allegations are bogus.”
The victim’s mother demanded justice for her child, saying no sentence would ever feel “enough.”
“I don’t care if they get 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 years, 100 years, I’m gonna always feel like it’s not enough,” she told Local 10.
Law enforcement alleged the victim was leaving a friend’s home in the Overtown neighborhood when she encountered the three suspects.
A judge set a hearing for March 18.
