Young man and woman charged in beating of 16-year-old girl at Tautphaus Park
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IDAHO FALLS — Two young adults are facing felony charges after police say they beat a 16-year-old girl bloody, allegedly slamming her head on the ground for flirting with one of them.
Kierstan Leann Morgan, 19, and Jiler Joe-Bryan Hainsworth, 18, were both charged in 7th District Court with felony aggravated battery and felony witness intimidation. Hainsworth is also facing a misdemeanor assault charge.
Morgan faces a possible 15-year prison sentence if convicted, whereas Hainsworth faces a possible 20-year sentence.
The fight at Tautphaus Park
According to charging documents, officers with the Idaho Falls Police Department responded to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center on May 7, 2025, at about 10:30 p.m. on a report of battery.
Police said they found a 16-year-old girl lying on a hospital bed with multiple facial injuries, including a bloody mouth, loose teeth and swelling of her upper lip. Charges say her left eye was also swollen, she had a large bump on her forehead near her right eye, and she had bruises and abrasions to her head, face and arms.
Police say the teen told them that she had been with a group of friends playing basketball at Tautphaus Park, 2725 Carnival Way, when she was assaulted. The group included Morgan and Hainsworth, who was 17 at the time, according to the charges.
The girl told police that Hainsworth accused her of flirting with him, and then he allegedly told Morgan that she should beat the girl up for doing so. She said Morgan then began to yell and threaten to hurt her, the charges state, and she said she reacted by walking away.
As she left, the 16-year-old told police that Morgan came up from behind, pushed her to the ground and got on top of her. She said she kept her hands up to prevent Morgan from hitting her, but told police Morgan did land a few punches to her face.
Charges say the girl also told police that Morgan grabbed her hair and slammed her face to the ground a number of times. She said she couldn’t recall what else occurred because she thought she may have passed out.
Police investigation
Police interviewed witnesses, who they say corroborated the teen’s account of what happened. Some witnesses told officers that Hainsworth stopped them from intervening in the fight and threatened to hurt a bystander if she touched Morgan, according to the charges.
Police also obtained video of the fight, which the charges describe as a “brutal beating.”
The documents say the bystander who was allegedly threatened by Hainsworth was eventually able to help her injured friend and contacted a family member to take the 16-year-old to the hospital.
When officers attempted to speak with Hainsworth outside his residence, charging documents say he was wearing the same clothing seen in the video of the fight. Police said Hainsworth refused to provide them any information and was extremely rude to the officers.
The following day, police officers went to Morgan’s workplace but were unable to find her.
When an investigator spoke with Hainsworth a second time over the phone, the charges say Hainsworth yelled profanities at the officer and claimed he wasn’t the one who started the fight. He also denied threatening witnesses, according to the charges.
Both Morgan and Hainsworth were eventually arrested and charged for their alleged involvement in the assault.
Hainsworth was scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Friday before Magistrate Judge Jacob Workman, but information on the proceedings was not available at the time of publication.
Morgan is scheduled for a pretrial conference before District Judge Jason Walker at 8:30 a.m. on March 10.
Though Morgan and Hainsworth have been charged with these crimes, it does not necessarily mean they committed them. Everyone is presumed innocent until they are proven guilty.