Mercades Nichols

Guide Note

17-year-old Mercades Nichols is one of the six girls arrested for the kidnapping and beating of 16-year-old Victoria Lindsay on March 30, 2008. The incident was videotaped by the girls, who reportedly intended to put the video on MySpace and YouTube to embarrass Lindsay.

The attack occurred in Nichols' grandmother's house in Lakeland, Florida. Lindsay was allegedly staying with Nichols because she was having family issues. Two teenage males, Zachary Ashley, 17, and Stephen Schumaker, 18, allegedly stood guard outside the house during the incident.

Five other girls, 17-year-old Brittini Hardcastle and Britney Mayes, 16-year-old Cara Murphy, 15-year-old Kayla Hassell, and 14-year-old April Cooper, were also arrested in the attack.

The six girls reportedly beat Lindsay until she was unconscious and then continued the beating after she regained consciousness. Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said that there was no indication on the video that Lindsay ever tried to fight back.

Following her daughter's arrest, Nichols' mother, Christina Garcia, defended her daughter, claiming that the girls were provoked by Lindsay's threatening MySpace messages. If they existed, the messages had been deleted by the time authorities accessed Nichols' account. Garcia also claimed that Nichols tried to warn Lindsay about the upcoming beating by telling her not to enter the house. Garcia conceded that Nichols should have called the police.

On Friday, April 11, 2008, employees of the Dr. Phil show posted bail for Mercades Nichols. Nichols and her family were allegedly sharing their story exclusively with Dr. Phil in return for bail, but representatives from the show have since said that they will not be pursuing the story.

On April 18, 2008, it was reported that Nichols' ex-boyfriend, Jacob Johns, sought and received a restraining order against Nichols in November of 2007. After they broke up, Johns alleges, Nichols threatened him with physical violence both verbally and in writing, and even "stabbed him with a pen" on one occasion.

Nichols' mother claimed, during a FOX News interview, that Johns was the abuser, not her daughter. Garcia also claimed that Johns abused Nichols while she was pregnant, causing her to have a miscarriage.

During the discovery portion of the trial, which took place on April 22, 2008, statements surrounding the case were released, including one from Nichols' grandmother, Mary Nichols, who admitted that she was "shocked" after watching the video footage of the beating.

Fast Facts

1. Age: 17
2. Lindsay is one of Nichols' "Top 8" friends on MySpace
3. Charged with felony battery, kidnapping and witness tampering
4. Maximum sentence: Life in prison
5. Bail was set at $30,000 on April 11, 2008

1. "I really think all of them need help, and instead of throwing them in jail, they should sit down and talk to them."—Mary Nichols, Lindsay Nichols' grandmother