Mediaboss Marketing

A violent gang attack of two women on the Lewis McManus Trail in Beckley in May 2015 by the so-called "Knockout Boys" may have been a social media stunt that went too far, one of the suspect's defense attorneys told jurors during opening statements on Tuesday.

Yoshua "Yoshi" Dewall, now 20, was 18 when he was arrested by agents of Beckley Police Department and U.S. Marshals' Office in June 2015 on a charge of first-degree robbery, two counts of malicious wounding and one count of a conspiracy to commit a felony in connection.

His trial is before Raleigh County Circuit Judge Robert Burnside.

Police arrested Dewall and an alleged co-conspirator, Kasey Stewart, now 21, for the attacks on Crystal Stracener and Delia Marsh of Beckley. They are two of several men who allegedly participated in the beating of the two victims on the trail near New River Park. According to police reports, the men also laughed and danced in circles during the assault.

Stewart, who is serving a two to 10-year sentence for the attacks after pleading guilty in July 2015 to malicious assault, identified Dewall's role in the attacks.

Jerrad Alan McGhee, 30, and Wayne Scott Cassidy, 27, both of Beckley, were also charged with malicious wounding, first degree robbery and conspiracy to commit a felony for their alleged roles in the assaults.

Raleigh Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Brandon Steele said Dewall had conspired with Stewart to beat the two victims and stole property from them, but defense attorney Mike Froble told jurors there was no robbery.

"We know and we're not going to contest that these two girls got beat up," Froble said. "It was an attack.

"There is no robbery."

Froble also contested that prosecutors could prove that Dewall had conspired with Stewart to beat up the women and maliciously attack them.

"Was this a bunch of drunk and intoxicated kids putting something on youtube and media that they thought was funny ... and it got out of hand?" Froble asked jurors. "Maybe they didn't intend to beat them up that bad.

"Maybe they were doing what they thought was fun in their intoxicated state, and it got out of hand."

Froble also challenged what became known locally as the "Knockout Boys."

"There was no 'Knockout Boys,' " Froble said.

A "knockout game" on Facebook in 2015 encouraged players to randomly target and strike unsuspecting victims.

Police photos taken after the attack showed large, copiously bleeding wounds to Stracener's forehead and the back of her head and a dark, bloody gash on the back of Marsh's head.

In a photo displayed for jurors Tuesday, Stracener's face was covered in blood.

Stracener and Marsh were walking from Wilbrian Apartments on Ewart Avenue back to their home on May 26, 2015, when they encountered two men at the park entrance.

As the victims tried to walk by the men, several more men came out of the woods and surrounded them. According to courtroom statements, the men hit the victims in the head with a pair of brass knuckles, punched and kicked them and beat them with sticks.

The victims were able to reach Little General where they notified police of the attacks around 10:15 p.m.

"They said they'd been attacked with brass knuckles and sticks," BPD Officer Ryan Cuevas testified Tuesday. "They were going in and out of consciousness.

"They were bleeding profusely," he said. "They'd just been attacked, brutally."

Stracener, now 36, could identify only "Yoshi," or Dewall, on the night of the attacks, said Cuevas.

According to Steele, the two women were robbed of their cell phones, wallets, house keys and medications.

Stewart was arrested June 12 after he called the Beckley PD to see if he had any warrants on file. In an interview with BPD Detective Dave Allard, Stewart said he was under the influence of two different cough syrups and that he had been part of a group of men who had attacked the victims, according to statements by Steele.

Dewall was arrested June 11.

A witness told police that McGhee bragged to him about beating up two women near New River Park.

Later, Stewart identified Dewall, McGhee and Cassidy and two male juveniles who allegedly attacked Stracener and Marsh.

In his opening statement Tuesday, Steele said the attacks occurred after a suspect exchanged heated words with one of the victims.

"Brandon Steele says there's heated words," Froble said. "That's because there's a history."

He said there is no proof that Stracener and Marsh were robbed.

Froble said the attacks on Stracener and Marsh happened during a time that victims were reporting "knockouts" on several Beckley trails in the "Rails to Trails" system.

Read this article:
Trial begins for McManus Trail gang attackers - Beckley Register-Herald