FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A neurosurgeon who treated a severely beaten Florida girl is calling her recovery a miracle but says she likely faces a lifetime of psychological problems.
Dr. Randell Powell testified Tuesday he didn't think Josie Lou Ratley would survive the 2010 attack at a middle school in which her head was repeatedly kicked and stomped. Powell says round-the-clock care and three operations barely saved her life. But Powell says Ratley suffers from chronic memory loss and other problems.
The testimony came in the attempted first-degree murder trial of 17-year-old Wayne Treacy. He faces 50 years in prison if convicted. Treacy is using the insanity defense, claiming he suffered post-traumatic stress disorder stemming from his brother's suicide.
Treacy's lawyer says he became enraged by a text message from Ratley about the brother.
