By Juan A. Lozano
More than a dozen men accused of taking part in a series of sexual assaults on an 11-year-old girl are expected in court in a case that has divided and horrified their small southeast Texas town.
The 14 men facing charges are scheduled to be in a state district courtroom in Liberty on Wednesday for status updates. Five juvenile boys also have been charged.
Prosecutors say the girl was assaulted on at least five occasions from mid-September to early December in Cleveland, a small town about 70km northeast of Houston.
Authorities began investigating after the girl's friend told a teacher he'd seen a lurid cell phone video that showed her being raped inside an abandoned trailer. Prosecutors say the video had been passed around among the girl's classmates.
AP