Teens Charged in Phoebe Prince Bullying Case Get Death Threats

[Yehonala]

A defense lawyer is calling for calm after death threats have been made against teenagers charged in the death of 15-year-old Phoebe Prince, who committed suicide after she was allegedly bullied by schoolmates.

"Not to minimize what happened to Phoebe Prince in any way, but translating this into death threats and public harassment has got to stop," says Colin Keefe, who represents Sharon Chanon Velazquez, accused of tormenting Prince, who hanged herself on Jan. 14.

"It's gotten way out of control," adds Keefe, who says Velazquez has been driven temporarily from her home.

Indictments against six teenagers were announced late last month, including felony counts against three 16-year-old South Hadley, Mass., girls who will be tried in juvenile court. Last week, prosecutors detailed the allegations against the defendants in court papers.

O'Keefe declines to comment on the specific allegations, saying any comments could hurt the defense. But, he believes, "Public opinion will change drastically when the full story is out."

A lawyer for co-defendant Austin Renaud, 18, who is charged with statutory rape but not with harassing the Irish immigrant prior to her suicide, says his client has been "vilified."

"He's an 18-year-old kid who's scared to death of his future," says attorney Terrence Dunphy.

http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20361466,00.html

Monsters. Selfish Monsters.

Scared to death? What did these scumsuckers do to that child? She lived in fear, day in and day out.

Basically the scum are trying to minimize it. This will set a major precedent and this will largely influence how bulllying is now dealt with.

I am sure that people talk about abortion here, but how many suicides from bullies are causing people to never be able to befriend them, to marry them, and to think, instead of planning weddings, these parents are planning the FUNERALS of their CHILDREN. These bastards are no different than murderers, plain and simple.

They are only upset because they are facing the consequences of their actions, no other reason. These people are not children. He committed statutory rape and knew better, he knew the law. He isn't a child, he is a legal adult.

[Xipe Totec]

1. My irony meter just pegged and exploded nt

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. Irony alert

and it has to stop, but not quite for the reasons given by the lawyers.

Oh and kids, you get zero sympathy from me... having been in the bullied side.

[SeattleGirl]

3. While I can't cheer on the fact that these kids are getting death

threats, I don't have a lot of sympathy for them after what they did to Phobe Prince. Karma's a bitch, ain't it, kids?

[virgogal]

5. Ditto. eom

[Mudoria]

4. I guess they know how it feelsnow

Not a good feeling is it punks?

[Chulanowa]

13. No, they don't

Because they have the law protecting their asses from it. Phoebe didn't have that.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

6. Good.

[Odin2005]

7. No sympathy.

[47of74]

11. Amen

While I cannot condone threats and harassment, I have no sympathy for these kids or their families. Zero. Zilch. None.

[tango-tee]

33. Ditto.

[bluestateguy]

8. While we can never condone that

We need to go back to the behavior that these bullies engaged in that might have brought the threats upon themselves.

[Posteritatis]

9. "public opinion will change drastically?"

What, we'll all become convinced that attacking memorial sites for someone whose death they brought about is a good thing or something?

[Yehonala]

10. And then.....

Posting "Mission Accomplished." And joking about it of all things.

[smalll]

12. Ah yes, the indigo kids, the crystal children --

aren't they such a great leap forward in human spiritual evolution? We have so much to learn from them! :eyes:

[Zix]

24. LOL!

Yeah, that irritated the crap out of me, too...

[Quantess]

25. Have you noticed that DU's major champion of "indigo children" has recently been banned?

omega minimo

Off topic, I know. Sorry about the thread hijack.

[smalll]

38. I have. I kind of miss her.

For a number of reasons --

1) There's something about crazy women that is irresistably attractive

2) I respected the courage of her convictions

3) She could be amazingly inadvertently funny (viz., the "bombing the moon" threads)


Come back, Omega Mimeo! We love you! :loveya:

[strategery blunder]

14. Ye reap what ye sow...

I certainly don't condone death threats, but now perhaps the bullies might learn EMPATHY, now that they are the bullied...

Who am I kidding? :(

[lpbk2713]

15. Oh really?

[Gwendolyn]

16. I'm not all that up on the story as far as this Austin dude goes.

The other kids deserve to spend the rest of their lives with shame and regret hanging over their heads on top of the punishment thrown at them. As a former victim of bullies, I have no sympathy for them.

However, if all that happened between the girl and this guy was a love affair, then sorry, I don't agree. The ages between 16 and 18 are a grey area and the Romeo and Juliette statute comes into play. Anyone who thinks otherwise has obviously never been a teenager desperately in love. If there's more to the story fine, if not, I don't think he should be blasted for having a thing with a girl two years younger than he.

[sabrina 1]

18. Yes, I was thinking the same thing. I don't know a lot about the story

the OP gives the impression that the girl did not want sex with him. But if it was simply a love affair between a 16 yr old and an 18 yr old, then I don't agree with the charge of 'rape'. That diminishes real rape and as you say, not much difference at that age when kids fall in love. And it does say he is not charged in the bullying so obviously he was not involved in that.

As for the others, hopefully they will learn some empathy from this. Can't really feel too sorry for them. Death threats are wrong, but they are protected by the law and attorneys etc. The girl they bullied, had no protection from their cruelty.

[BlooInBloo]

17. Obviously I have little sympathy for the bully-murderer, but neither should Lord Of The Flies rule.

[WolverineDG]

19. ...

:nopity:

here's a quarter, call someone who cares, asswipes.

dg

[Raineyb]

20. This isn't the first time this has come up. And oddly enough I still don't give a shit. n/t

[chollybocker]

21. More vicdumbhood from the bullies.

[Yehonala]

36. I'm Amazed.....

That people who dish out this sort of cruelty can actually think of themselves as victims. They actually don't see themselves for what they are and what they have done to someone else. Actions = consequences has no bearing on them.

[Initech]

22. What goes around comes around.

[provis99]

23. typical crybaby bullies.

can dish it out, but can't take it. I hope they piss their pants over these threats.

[depakid]

26. dupe

[depakid]

27. Crikey- your commentary is almost as digusting as what these kids did

What sort of person are you to post such things?

Wow. Get some psychological help, because it surely seems that you need it.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

28. I Can't Believe The Responses On An Allegedly Progressive Board.

Let me preface my remarks by saying I have no sympathy for bullies and am far from a pacifist. That being said "two wrongs don't make a right".

[tammywammy]

30. +1 n/t

[DailyGrind51]

29. "Whatever goes around, comes around!"

[ellie]

31. This is what is known as

"dishing it out but not being able to take it."

These monsters should be hounded to hell and back.

[northernlights]

32. karma's a bitch, no?

somebody quick call them a waaaahmbulence. :nopity:

[DailyGrind51]

34. They can dish it out, but they sure can't take it!

[Yehonala]

35. Typical........

It's a typical trait of bullies. Their way of unloading their problems on innocent people.

[DailyGrind51]

37. The fact that they gang up on one vulnerable girl is really deplorable.

[Yehonala]

39. Tell me about it...........

That's the best way for these fiends to operate. Find and destroy innocence. Bastards. Instead of paying for Phoebe's wedding, they're paying for her funeral. I am glad to hear that one of the bullies was driven from her home in fear.