The Philadelphia Dungeon Case - 10 children and teens - Philly PA

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Juana Rodriguez is anxiously waiting to be reunited with her 15-year-old daughter Benita Rodriguez.
At the time of her disappearance on July 4, Benita was dating 18-year-old Gregory Thomas Jr., the son of Gregory Thomas Sr.
Thomas Sr. happens to be one of the three people accused of chaining up and locking four mentally disabled adults in a basement.
Juana
Rodriguez says her daughter, Benita, didn't tell anyone she was
leaving. In a conversation with her daughter over the phone on Tuesday,
Juana learned her daughter had tried to come home.
"I can't wait. I'm just going to love her and hug her," said Juana.
Her daughter, Benita, is now safe in Philadelphia after disappearing from West Palm Beach.
"She
said she tried to call me, but his mom wouldn't let her use the phone.
Once they got to Philadelphia she was not allowed to be outside," said
Juana.
There is no information known yet if Benita was subjected
to, or possibly a witness to the alleged abuse that took place.
Philadelphia investigators say this story isn't over. They are pouring
over documents they say could reveal an even larger scheme of fraud and
abuse.
Also charged in connection with the chaining of mentally
disabled people to a radiator in a basement of a Philadelphia home were
Linda Weston and Eddie Wright. Weston was convicted of murder in 1981
for starving a man to death. Her bond is set at $2.5 million.
As for Benita, her mother says she could arrive at Palm Beach International Airport sometime Wednesday night.

Read more: http://www.wptv.com/dpp/news/region_c_palm_beach_county/west_palm_beach/missing-teen-connected-to-philadelphia-abuse-case-expected-home-soon#ixzz1bFOO7vy7

The suspected ringleader of an alleged Social Security fraud scheme in
which police say mentally disabled people were held captive in a
basement may not completely understand the seriousness of the charges
against her, her lawyer said Monday.

Linda Ann Weston, 51, along with her boyfriend, Gregory Thomas, 47, and
Eddie "the Rev. Ed" Wright, 50, are charged with kidnapping, assault,
false imprisonment and other counts. At a brief initial court appearance
Monday, Municipal Judge Felice Rowley Stack scheduled a preliminary hearing for Dec. 19.

The suspects, all of whom are in custody, did not appear in court. A
fourth person, Weston's daughter, Jean McIntosh, 32, is also charged and
has a hearing scheduled for Wednesday.

George S. Yacoubian Jr., a lawyer who represents Weston, said after the
hearing that he has met with the woman and plans to do a more
comprehensive interview to evaluate her mental state.


Linda Ann Weston

He declined to comment on if she had a history of mental issues, but said a competency examination would be a good idea.

"I don't know if she understands what the allegations are," Yacoubian
said outside court, describing his client as "fatigued" and "lethargic."
''At this point, I do not think she appreciates the seriousness of the charges."

The victims, who authorities say have the mental capacity of
10-year-olds, were discovered by a landlord at a Philadelphia apartment
building on Oct. 15. They were malnourished and one was chained to a boiler, according to police.

Eight children and four young adults linked to the defendants were taken into protective custody.

Weston, Thomas and Wright had recently moved into the building in the city's Tacony section with Weston's daughter, McIntosh.

Investigators are working to discover the extent of the alleged scheme
after finding more than 50 Social Security cards, power of attorney
documents and other such forms in McIntosh's apartment.

Perry de Marco Jr., a lawyer who represents Thomas, said he met with his
client for about three hours but still has little information.

"He was extremely worried," de Marco said after the hearing.

Louis D'Onofrio, an attorney for Wright, did not immediately respond to a telephone message after the hearing.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/philly-basement-case-suspects-face-court-monday-14799911

CHEVELLE McGill was thrilled back in 2008 when neighbor Linda Ann
Weston told her that she could adopt a 2-year-old girl whom Weston
called her own.


McGill cared for the girl she called "Little L" for a few months in
her rowhouse on A Street near Westmoreland, in Kensington, waiting for
Weston to file adoption papers.

" 'Yeah, yeah, we'll get it done,' " Weston told her, according to McGill.

Then, shortly before Christmas, Weston packed up her belongings and
disappeared, McGill said. A little later, Weston's daughter, Jane
McIntosh, showed up at the McGills' home and told them that she was
taking the toddler to a birthday party and would return.

She never did.

"We waited and waited, but we never saw Little L again," Chevelle McGill said.

Now McGill and her husband, Robert, are worried that Little L is in danger.

"I just want to know where she is," McGill told the Daily News last night, as she looked longingly at the toddler's face on a video she'd filmed. "I have to know she's all right."

But when it comes to Weston, nothing is right. She is accused of
stealing Social Security checks from four people she hardly fed and
locked in a fetid, sub-basement dungeon in a Tacony apartment building.

Relatives say that she beat her siblings and forced them to have sex with each other or prostitute themselves.

Prosecutors have charged Weston, 51; McIntosh, 32; Weston's
boyfriend, Gregory Thomas, 47; and Eddie Wright, 50, with aggravated
assault, kidnapping, unlawful restraint, false imprisonment and related
offenses.

Over the years, Weston moved so often that even close relatives couldn't keep track.

McGill and her husband, Robert, told the Daily News
yesterday that Weston lived in a two-story, scuffed white rowhouse on A
Street for about five months in 2008. They said that she resided there
with Thomas, eight children who she said were hers, two Hispanic girls, a
Hispanic boy and Maxine Lee, who was in Weston's charge.

The McGills said that they didn't see signs of a monster lurking
inside Weston. "When we first met, she was a nice lady," Chevelle McGill
said. "We never saw the evil side to her."

Weston often asked Chevelle McGill to babysit Little L, and McGill
grew to adore the girl. At 47, she'd raised five children. Now that they
were grown, she wanted to care for a baby again.

"We fell in love with the baby and the baby fell in love with me," McGill said.

One time she asked Weston about a bruise she saw on Little L's leg. Weston told McGill that she didn't know how she got it.

As Little L spent more time at the McGills', she didn't want to go
home. "She never wanted to leave us," Chevelle said. "Every time Linda
came to get her, she'd cry. She never wanted to leave my arms. So Linda
asked if we'd like to adopt her. I asked her if she was going to do
everything legal and she said, 'Yes.' "

So Little L moved in with the McGills, and Chevelle McGill doted on
her. "You could tell she was a little behind," Chevelle recalled. "She
wasn't talking. She didn't know her ABCs or her colors. She wasn't
developed. We taught her how to talk."

The McGills videotaped Little L in her playpen, teaching her to say, "I love you."

"Who couldn't fall in love with a face like that?" Chevelle asked.

When McIntosh pulled up to her house in a car with Florida license
plates in late 2008, McGill had already bought Little L toys and a lacy
white dress for Christmas.

They don't know where Little L spent Christmas that year. "We were devastated," she said.

Since news reports last week exposed Weston's alleged savagery, the
McGills now wonder how many lies Weston told and how many people she
might have hurt.

"One day she told us she had a man in the basement," Chevelle McGill
said. "We laughed at her and said, 'Yeah, right.' But I guess maybe she
did.
"Now I believe there was a man in the basement," Robert McGill said.
"When I was in my basement, I heard strange noises coming from there.
You could tell something was going on in there. I just didn't know
what."

They saw Maxine Lee often sitting in the living room of Weston's home
and thought that she was related to Weston somehow. "You could tell
Maxine was off a little bit," Chevelle said.

The McGills were horrified to recently learn that Lee died shortly
after Weston moved from A Street to Norfolk, Va. She was 39. The Medical
Examiner's Office in Norfolk ruled Lee's death natural, listing the
cause as acute bacterial meningitis, with malnutrition as a contributing
factor. Norfolk police are re-examining the case.

Sometimes the McGills saw Weston walking in the neighborhood with one
of the two Hispanic girls who lived with her. "She said they were part
of the family," Chevelle said.

"One day in the summertime she took one of the girls around the
corner, and I seen when they came back, the girl was fixing her
clothing," Chevelle said.

McGill asked Weston if something was wrong.

" 'We just went to the store,' " Weston told her, she recalled. "But they looked like something was going on."

"You could tell they had secrets, lots of secrets," Robert McGill added.

Now they wonder who Little L's parents really are.

"I just pray she's OK," Chevelle McGill said. "I just hope someone is taking care of that sweet little girl."
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/132424478.html?page=2&c=y