LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A 17-year-old from Madison, Indiana, was sentenced to 6 years in prison for her involvement in what authorities called a “disturbing” 2019 attack on a 14-year-old girl that involved kidnapping and torture.
Elani Hines was convicted of kidnapping and on Monday received a sentence of 12 years, of which she will serve 6 years in state prison, according to the Jefferson County Prosecutor’s Office. Hines will be eligible to serve the remainder of the sentence under supervision by community corrections.
Authorities said Hines and Hailey Bartley in June 2019, when they were both 16, kidnapped the 14-year-old from a friend’s house, took her to another residence, shaved part of her head, pulled out some of her hair and beat her. Authorities also said Bartley threatened the victim with a knife and told her that she would be killed if she told anyone about what happened.
Police recovered photo and video evidence, the prosecutor’s office said, and described the footage as “quite disturbing,” as it involved Hines and Bartley “hitting, kicking, strangling and torturing” the victim.
Hines and Bartley were charged as adults.
Jefferson County Prosecutor David Sutter commended law enforcement officers for their “outstanding” work and said he was “impressed by the bravery of the victim in coming forward.”
He also thanked Linda Zapp, a CASA volunteer, and Lucinda Woodward, a psychology professor, for their “invaluable” work in making sure that “the victim was cared for, and that her voice was heard in the courtroom during sentencing.”
Bartley is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 4.
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