Man allegedly stalked 13-year-old girl before raping and killing her: police

Thirteen-year-old Rose Dieujuste did what so many kids do when she walked from her home in a Florida apartment complex to her friend's house to hang out on the Fourth of July.

But she never made it.

Now a grand jury has indicted a man accused of “senselessly and brutally” raping and murdering the young teenager. He faces charges of premeditated murder and rape, District Attorney Andrew Bain announced on Wednesday, August 28.

A grand jury indicted Dorisme on charges of first-degree murder, kidnapping with intent to inflict bodily harm or terrorize, sexual assault and attempted sexual assault, the district attorney said in a press release.

The charges stem from July 4, when Rose went to her friend's apartment in another building in the Palmetto at Lakeside complex in Orlando, Orange County Sheriff John Mina said at a July 12 news conference.

“Her friend found Rose’s cell phone and shoes in the stairwell of this apartment building and contacted Rose’s family,” Mina said.

The friend told Rose’s older brother, Jean Renal Dieujuste, that she “had [shoes] and her phone on the stairs, but she wasn't there,” the brother wrote in a GoFundMe campaign.

The victim's brother said he was scared. He and others knocked on doors and checked until they made the gruesome discovery.

Officers responding to panicked 911 calls found Rose “partially naked” in the closet, Mina said. “She had been stabbed and was barely alive.”

She was taken to the local hospital where she succumbed to her injuries.

“She should not have died this way,” Mina said. “My heart aches for her family, her friends and her loved ones. What we can do now is bring justice to this family and move them forward.”

A witness at the complex reported seeing a man leaving the building where Rose was found, he said.

A video from the complex allegedly shows Dorisme “following Rose at a distance as she walked through the complex toward her friend's building,” Mina said.

At the crime scene, investigators found the packaging of a 30-centimeter-long kitchen knife, which was probably the murder weapon, Mina said.

Detectives later found a video showing Dorisme “buying the same kitchen knife” that “was used in the murder” at a nearby store shortly before the murder, he claimed.

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Dorisme was arrested on July 11.

On August 6, his public defender filed a motion for insanity, WFTV 9 reported.

His public defender did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.

His trial is scheduled to begin on December 2.

“Rose's murder has shaken our community and our agency,” Mina said. “Every time a child is murdered, we all grieve together. I'm a father. Our detectives are all parents, and this is very, very hard on them and of course on the community. And we can't even imagine the pain and anguish that Rose's family and loved ones are going through right now.”

In 2021, Dorisme was arrested for lewd and lascivious conduct with a child, Mina said. The charge was reduced to child abuse, according to Mina. Dorisme pleaded no contest and was sentenced to one year and one day in prison.

Orange County officials encountered him in June when they received calls reporting a man walking down the street with a knife, Mina said.

Dorisme allegedly punched three police officers as they attempted to arrest him. Officers were enforcing the Baker Act, which allows people believed to be suffering from a mental illness to be committed to a psychiatric hospital for up to 72 hours.

Dorisme was familiar with the area and was allegedly seen stalking girls, Mina said.

“They were definitely worried about him,” Mina said.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to Rainn.org.