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Rape Suspect's Brother Lived In Same Building As Victim

Posted: 4:46 pm EST February 16, 2007Updated: 6:19 pm EST February 16, 2007

Channel 9 has uncovered shocking new details in a MetroWest rape case. It turns out, the 17-year-old suspect's brother used to live in the same building as the victim at the Tradewinds Condos.

Leighton Henry was arrested Thursday, living in a garage at another complex about a mile away. Friday, a juvenile judge told Henry his charges will likely be moved to adult court and he would be transferred to the adult jail.

The teen's only statements were to ask about his own family.

"Um, I ain't got in contact with my family," he told the judge Friday.

With a thick Jamaican accent, Henry told the judge he wants to speak with his aunt, who lives in Orlando and is his legal guardian. Police said the teen's passport shows he's a Jamaican national. They found it when they searched the MetroWest garage Henry was living in, just about a mile from the Tradewinds condo where a woman was violently attacked Wednesday morning.

"He did commit some pretty heinous sexual acts with this woman. It's probably one of the worst ones we've seen in our unit," said Detective Rick Salcedo, Orlando Police Department.

Channel 9 uncovered just how Henry might have targeted the victim, find his brother, Errol Henry, used to live in the same condo building as the victim. She did not know either of the brothers, but police said Leighton Henry might have seen the woman before and broke into her condo through a sliding glass door.

"In this case, she reported it immediately, which is very important. We were able to get evidence immediately and get pictures of the individual to the media and a tipster obviously saw the photograph," Salcedo said.

That tipster led police right to the garage, beneath a condo rented by Errol Henry's girlfriend. Errol had asked her to let his teenage brother stay there. Now he's staying in the juvenile detention center, while prosecutors build their case.

Police are pushing for the 17-year old to be tried as an adult. Prosecutors will make that decision within the next 30 days.

Meanwhile, police have contacted Immigration Customs Enforcement to see what Leighton Henry was doing in the U.S. and whether he was here legally.

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