Georgia middle-schooler commits suicide after bullying, being called 'snitch,' dad says

4-9-2013 Georgia:

A 13-year-old Georgia boy who hanged himself after reportedly being bullied at school was remembered by family and friends as a hero at his funeral this week.

Devin Brown moved to Columbus, Ga., six months ago to live with his father, who says the bullying began shortly after Devin started at his new middle school, according to NBC affiliate WLTZ-TV in Georgia.

"He got jumped, or somebody beat him up," Ray Brown, Devin's father, told WLTZ. "He came home one time and had some peanut butter pies he had made for school. When he walked through the door he had some pie left, and he had it all over him. Someone had jumped on him and smeared it all over him."

Brown voiced his concerns to Rothschild Middle School, but officials told him they hadn't heard of any issues, he said.

"They just kind of let it go," Brown said.

It wasn't until last Thursday night that Devin's family realized how far the bullying had gone.

"I hear [my stepmother yelling,] 'Oh my God, Ray, Ray, help me! I can't get him down, he hung himself,'" Cara Downs, Devin's older sister, told WLTZ. "I could see the black and blue around his neck and I tried to find a pulse, but couldn't find it."

Brown believes being called a "snitch" at school pushed Devin over the edge. He told WLTZ that the day Devin took his life, he saw another student carrying a knife and threatening a teacher. Brown said Devin told his teacher about the knife; the other student was given disciplinary action.

"He said, 'Everyone is calling me a snitch,'" Brown said. "He said, 'There's about 15-20 people who want to jump on me.'"

Rothschild Middle School Principal Reginald Williamson denied Brown's account of his son's school experiences.

"We have received no information on him being bullying whatsoever," he said. "We log all information as far as bullying is concerned."

He also said there was never any threat to a teacher.

"We did have a knife incident that occurred. It happened before school started. The knife was retrieved," he said. But no threat was ever issued against a teacher during the incident, he said.

Muscogee County School District's director of communications also confirmed the incident.

"It was discovered upon search in the student's locker. And of course any student discipline, while I can't talk about particular student discipline, was handled according to policy," Valerie Fuller said.

At his funeral on Wednesday, a large wooden box with the word "hero" carved on it was set up. Devin's friends dropped notes into it, thanking him for speaking up about the threat he saw at school, reported WLTZ.

"I made this for him because he is my hero. He did the right thing and he knew he did the right thing," Brown told the affiliate.

On Devin's gravestone, the inscription read: "You left too soon, but forever wouldn't have been long enough. Our hero - Devin Brown." ..Source.. by Elizabeth Chuck

Students Say Palmdale Teen Who Committed Suicide Was Bullied Over Love Of Cheerleading

4-17-2013 California:

Classmates of a 13-year-old Palmdale boy who went missing and later committed suicide said he was teased over his love of cheerleading.

Nigel Hardy disappeared Monday morning after he became upset when he was temporarily suspended from Hillview Middle School after fighting with another student.

Hardy’s father found a suicide note from his son and discovered his gun was missing.

The teen was found dead in Kern County Monday night with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Bright Addo, a student at Hillview Middle, said Hardy was often teased and bullied for being on the A.V. Dynasty All-Stars competitive cheerleading squad.

“He was a cheerleader. And they were talking about him and stuff,” he said. “We should stop bullying people and talking stuff about people.”

Addo added, “He was cool. He was a nice guy. He was funny.”

Dustin Velazquez, Hardy’s cheerleading coach, said he wished the teen would have reached out to him.

“I wish I could have helped him more. I wish he could have come to me,” he said.

Velazquez, however, told CBS2’s Amy Johnson that Hardy did talk to him about being bullied.

“He did a couple times. I told him that even myself, in high school, I cheered and people would say, ‘Oh, you’re gay.’ I’m just like, you gotta ignore it,” he said.

Counselors were on campus Wednesday to help students and staff deal with their loss. A special assembly was also held.

“Everyone was crying today,” said Addo.

The students were also given the opportunity to write messages for Hardy’s family. A community-wide vigil is planned for Thursday night.

“We’re heartbroken for the family of Nigel,” said Regina Rossall, the superintendent of the Westside Union School District. “There are no words to explain the loss of life of a 13-year-old.” ..Source.. by CBS Los Angeles

Bailey O'Neill, 12, Dead Weeks After School Bullying

3-4-2013 Pennsylvania:

A 12-year-old boy has died after being placed in a medically induced coma following an alleged bullying incident at his suburban Philadelphia school.

Bailey O'Neill died Sunday, his father confirmed to ABCNews.com. Bailey turned 12 on Saturday. He was taken off life support Sunday morning.

On Jan. 10, Bailey was involved in a fight at Darby Township School in Upper Darby, Pa., west of Philadelphia. The boy was allegedly jumped by two classmates, one of whom hit him in the face several times fracturing his nose, his father Rob O'Neill told ABCNews.com.

"It was an altercation in the schoolyard where kid wanted to fight my son, and my son wanted to walk away," Rob O'Neill said. "One boy pushed Bailey into the kid [who wanted to fight him]. That kid then hit him in the face, then he hit his head on the ground. One pushed him into the kid, then the other kid did the rest of the work."

Bailey was knocked on his head in the incident, his father said, which caused a concussion. From then on, something with the 6th grader wasn't right, his father said.

"He was a perfectly healthy boy before any of this. He was a healthy, funny, goofy boy. There was nothing wrong with him," his dad said.

O'Neill added that Bailey was sent back to class with an icepack after the incident. He said the two boys were briefly suspended from school after the incident.

Soon Bailey, who was living primarily in the custody of his mother Jina, wasn't the same, his dad said.

"He wasn't feeling good, he was tired and irritable, and then we had him checked in. They found out he had a concussion," he said.

A week and a half later, Bailey began having seizures, his dad said. A friend of his parents told ABCNews.com that Bailey was having refractory status epilepsies, a condition in which the brain is in a state of persistent seizure. O'Neill said they'd happen about every three seconds.

Bailey had to have a blood transfusion after getting pneumonia, the family friend confirmed, and doctors at A.I. duPont Hospital for Children put Bailey in a medically induced coma.

The Delaware County District Attorney's Office says it has opened an active criminal investigation, according to WPVI. Southeast Delco School District officials have said the district is cooperating with the investigation. The school's principal didn't return a call to ABC News.

On Sunday, the following statement was posted on the Facebook page Building Hope for Bailey:

"I would like to thank everyone who has prayed and supported Bailey and his family!! Bailey has been the strongest toughest boy I know. He has fought this battle long and hard. There just wasn't a way to fix this. I wish I could say he will get better but I can't. Bailey has gone to be with God today :( I love you Jina Risoldi with all my heart and I will help you through this. Bailey I love you!!! Please keep Baileys family in your prayers!!!" ..Source.. by Kevin Dolak

Classmates Of Gabrielle Molina, 12-Year-Old Girl Who Committed Suicide, Rally Against Bullying

5-29-2013 New York:

QUEENS VILLAGE — Classmates of 12-year-old Gabrielle Molina, who committed suicide last week after being relentlessly taunted online and at school, rallied Tuesday to call for an end to bullying.

Dozens of students gathered in the rain in front of Jean Nuzzi I.S. 109 in Queens Village, chanting, "Stop the bullying!" Queens City Councilman Leroy Comrie and anti-violence activist Tony Herbert joined the students, imploring bullying victims to speak out and get help.

"Don’t handle it by yourself," said Hannah Hendrax, 12, one of Molina's friends.

Classmates said they were aware of nasty comments other students made about Molina online, including calling her a "slut" and making fun of her new haircut, but they said Molina claimed she didn't let it bother her.

Her friends said they wish she had told them how bad the bullying had gotten.

A relative found Molina in her family's Queens Village home May 23, after she hanged herself with a belt, police said. Molina left behind a note describing the bullying and apologizing to her parents for taking her own life, according to reports.

"Gabby was fun. She would light up the entire room," said Nia James, 12, another friend of Molina's. "I burst out in tears when I found out."

Students at I.S. 109 said the school gave them a pamphlet to take home after the suicide, telling them to speak up if they felt bullied or were having suicidal feelings.

Comrie said he had expressed his condolences to Molina's family.

"No child should feel intimidated," he said.

No school administrators spoke at the rally, and the Department of Education declined to comment on Tuesday, citing the ongoing police investigation.

"She was sweet person. She had a big heart," another classmate said of Molina Tuesday afternoon. "[Bullying] has to stop today." ..Source.. by Ben Fractenberg

Teen, 17, who committed suicide tormented by bully even after death

6-26-2013 New York:

Gregory Spring suffered from Tourette syndrome, Callosum Dysgenesis, a developmental disorder, and constant bullying — even on his obituary condolence page.

Even death couldn't spare Gregory Spring a bully's torment.

Driven to take his own life by years of constant teasing, the 17-year-old's obituary condolence page was hijacked by a mean-spirited peer who couldn't resist getting in one last jab.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA HE DIED!!!!!! I HOPE HE IS IN HELLLLLLLL," the sick student wrote.

For Spring's mother, Keri, it was the ultimate insult after six years of incessant bullying that ended in such terrible tragedy. The New York teen suffered from Tourette syndrome, Keri told WIVB-TV, and Callosum Dysgenesis, a developmental disorder that affected how he processed information and emotions.

"He was just a very compassionate, very loving, very emotional person that just wanted to be accepted," Keri told the TV station.

"He was just distraught but never showed it to us," she added.

"There came an incident where Greg actually picked him up and said, 'Stop bullying, bullying isn't good. Bullying is only going to hurt people,'" Keri said.

Greg was just finishing his sophomore year of high school when he killed himself June 17.

Keri says she contacted the school several times about bullying, warning them that Greg's classmates were making life difficult for him.

The school has an anti-bullying policy, and in a statement, the school's superintendent said Greg had not been bullied.

"Based on information received from the police, the untimely loss of this student's life may be attributed to a factor or factors altogether unrelated to bullying," Superintendent Karen Geelan wrote.

But Keri disagrees. The fact that someone so twisted would taunt Greg even in death is proof enough the teen was tormented.

She's hoping now she can advocate for stricter rules or legislation that would prevent such a suicide in the future.

"When a bully is brought to your attention, it need to be hit head-on and stopped immediately," Keri said. ..Source.. by Sasha Goldstein / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

New girl blamed to teen bullying suicide case

7-24-2013 California:

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A new classmate has been implicated in the death of a 15-year-old girl who committed suicide after saying three boys sexually assaulted her and circulated photos of the abuse online.

Audrie Pott hanged herself in September, about a week after passing out drunk at a party at a friend's house in Northern California.

The 15-year-old said boys she had known for years took off her clothes and sexually assaulted her, including writing and drawing on intimate parts of her body and taking cellphone photos of their actions, according to authorities.

She tried to confront the boys accused of attacking her online, and posted her feelings about it on social media.

"I have a reputation for a night I don't even remember and the whole school knows," she wrote in one Facebook message to a friend.

"I cried when I found out what they did," she wrote in another.

Audrie Pott's family recently added a 15-year-old girl to their lawsuit filed in April against the three boys and the adult couple where she said the assault took place on Sept. 2.

Attorney Robert Allard initially sued the boys and the adult couple in Santa Clara County Superior Court, alleging battery, defamation, wrongful death and several other claims. The suit seeks unspecified damages.

The new defendant was added in June with the Pott family alleging the teenage girl was present in the room when the assault occurred and encouraged the boys "to expose and/or photograph and/or draw on Audrie's body," according to the amended lawsuit.

The girl, identified only as Jane C. because she is a minor, then buttoned and zipped Audrie Pott's shorts, covered her with a blanket and left her alone, according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit claims that Jane C. lied about her involvement to cover up the assault.

The boys are also identified only by their first names and an initial because of their ages. They have also been charged criminally with sexual battery, dissemination of child pornography and possession of child pornography.

The AP does not routinely identify victims of sexual assault. But in this case, Pott's family wanted her name and case known, Allard said. The family also provided a photo to the AP.

Days after the party, Audrie Pott saw a group of students at Saratoga High School huddled around a cellphone and realized that at least one humiliating photo of her was circulating, according to police reports.

The family and authorities say the assault occurred at the Saratoga home of Michael Penuen and Sheila Penuen, who left their teen daughter behind while they went out of town.

The Penuens' daughter, whom AP has not named, told her parents she was spending the night at Audrie Pott's home. Instead, several teens gathered at the Penuens' home and drank alcohol. A woman answering the Penuen's home phone Saturday declined comment and hung up. It is not clear whether the daughter is involved in the suit.

Eight days after the party, Audrie Pott called and asked her mother to pick her up at school. She said she couldn't deal with it anymore but would not say what was wrong. She later hanged herself in her home. ..Source.. by PAUL ELIAS