Update on Teen Girl that killed father

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07242/813332-55.stm

Girl accused of killing father to be placed in program
Thursday, August 30, 2007
By Steve Levin, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The guardianship of Rachel Booth, the 13-year-old Elizabeth Township girl who shot her father last month to end what her attorney called years of physical and sexual abuse, was placed yesterday with Allegheny County Juvenile Probation, an agency of the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County.

The agency was expected to place the girl in a treatment program as soon as an appropriate one was found. Last night, she was still being held in the Shuman Juvenile Detention Center, where she has been since Aug. 16.

Common Pleas Judge Kathryn Hens-Greco also ruled yesterday that Rachel's brother, Matthew Booth Jr., 14, would remain with his paternal grandparents.

A third child, Elizabeth, 12, lives with the children's mother, Michelle Fazek, in White Oak.

The judge excluded the news media from the family court dependency hearing of both Rachel and her brother, despite objections from an attorney representing the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The judge agreed with attorneys for the children that further publicity about their therapy, evaluations and treatments revealed during the hearing would be "embarrassing" for them.

Information about the dependency hearing came from Common Pleas Judge Kim Berkeley Clark, the administrative judge of Family Division.

Also yesterday, Rachel's delinquency hearing, the equivalent of an adult's preliminary hearing, was postponed until December. Her attorney, Patrick K. Nightingale, said the delay would allow the district attorney's office to further investigate the July 30 death of Matthew Booth Sr., 34, and decide whether or not Rachel presents "a continuing threat of violence."

Mr. Nightingale said Rachel wants ultimately to move in with her mother. They have regular contact, he said, after being kept apart for years by Mr. Booth. Ms. Fazek ultimately wants to reunite the family, he said, but for now "it's what's best for Rachel."

The girl has told investigators that she had been the victim of rape by her father since she was 7. Investigators said the girl reported that her father raped her the night before she shot him as he slept.

Mr. Nightingale said Rachel's demeanor "is constantly improving. It's getting better and better."

"To get herself out of a horribly abusive situation to a girl who can see the light at the end of the tunnel, there's a reason for her to be hopeful."
Correction/Clarification: (Published Aug. 31, 2007) This story as originally published Aug. 30, 2007 about a dependency hearing to determine guardianship of Rachel Booth, the 13-year-old Elizabeth Township girl who killed her father in July, incorrectly stated the county agency chosen. Allegheny County Juvenile Probation, an agency of the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, will be her guardian.

First published on August 30, 2007 at 12:00 am