By ,
Published May 03, 2018
The trial began this week for three men accused of raping a 9-year-old while her mother smoked meth in a nearby garage.
The three -- Larson RonDeau, 38, Randall Flatlip, 28, and Jerry Flatlip, 31 -- have been accused of raping the young Utah girl after an Easter-egg hunt in March 2016. The girl, who has not been publicly identified because of her age, testified via video on Thursday that the men threatened to kill her and her family if she told anyone about the attack.
According to authorities, she told her mother two days later.
The girl's mother pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor child abuse charge for leaving the girl behind to use drugs with a friend she'd met during a prior stay in jail; the friend had been sharing the home with the three defendants.
She was sentenced to jail and drug treatment after the guilty plea. Her identity was also concealed to protect the identity of the young girl.
The three defendants deny the accusations, and their attorneys argue that there is no DNA or other physical evidence linking them to the alleged attack.
The girl was placed in state custody and is now in the care of her Native American tribe, authorities have said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/trial-begins-for-three-men-accused-of-raping-9-year-old-while-her-mother-smoked-meth-in-a-nearby-home