Bullied Teen Kills Aggressor After School Refuses Help

[Frankly Rich]

In a case that makes you seriously question why a school couldn't help a victimized teen, the cost has been the life of the bully. The odd situation came to a head after the father of a bullied 14 year-old went to the school and documented the problem, requesting a "safety" transfer for his son.

 

The school said no. When the bullied teen showed up to school, his tormentor was lying in wait, unaware that a knife was now a factor. After beating the teen, he suffered the fatal price of his actions when his victim finally fought back.

 

The gruesome details: http://nypost.com/2014/06/19/bully-killing-teen-was-afraid-for-his-life/

[Epigonos]

Things aren't always what they initially appear to be. After reading the entire article it appears that, in this case at least, neither of these two kids was a blameless saint.

[caliguy]

In a case that makes you seriously question why a school couldn't help a victimized teen, the cost has been the life of the bully. The odd situation came to a head after the father of a bullied 14 year-old went to the school and documented the problem, requesting a "safety" transfer for his son.

 

The school said no. When the bullied teen showed up to school, his tormentor was lying in wait, unaware that a knife was now a factor. After beating the teen, he suffered the fatal price of his actions when his victim finally fought back.

 

The gruesome details: http://nypost.com/2014/06/19/bully-killing-teen-was-afraid-for-his-life/

Sounds like a great case for self defense. All you have to do is prove you felt your life is being threatened.

[bigvalboy]

Sounds like a great case for self defense. All you have to do is prove you felt your life is being threatened.

 

I'm curious. For the lawyers in the house, assuming for a moment that this incident took place in Florida, would the Florida 'Stand your ground law' apply to children of this age?

[Frankly Rich]

Things aren't always what they initially appear to be. After reading the entire article it appears that, in this case at least, neither of these two kids was a blameless saint.

 

What a lack of empathy here, Epigonos. The bullied teen was forced to return to a school where he was being beaten and tormented only days after he left a mental hospital following a suicide attempt, and you want to equal his behavior to that of his aggressor. The aggressor had been suspended a year before for breaking a kid's jaw, now he and his friends were tormenting a mentally unstable teen, urinating on his doorway repeatedly, beating him...um, where is the lack of sainthood factoring in here?

[+ azdr0710]

will go with Epigonos on this one.....

 

 

“The suspect had a beef with the victim,” another police source said. “He stole the victim’s cellphone a few days ago. That’s what the beef was about. The victim was no angel either.”

 

A student who knows both boys said the rift between the former friends preceded the cellphone theft and added that things went south after Timothy lent Noel some money that was never repaid.

 

 

always two (three?) sides to every story.....was brewing for months.....but, ultimately, this is a horrible event and the bullied kid was obviously suffering

[Frequentflier]

What a lack of empathy here, Epigonos. The bullied teen was forced to return to a school where he was being beaten and tormented only days after he left a mental hospital following a suicide attempt, and you want to equal his behavior to that of his aggressor. The aggressor had been suspended a year before for breaking a kid's jaw, now he and his friends were tormenting a mentally unstable teen, urinating on his doorway repeatedly, beating him...um, where is the lack of sainthood factoring in here?

 

Exactly. The outcome is unfortunate but the bullied kid has a right to defend himself and the bully had been getting off too light for too long. I blame the parents who raised a baby into a bully.

[Frankly Rich]

The theft of the cell phone was never proven. It was merely an allegation cooked up by the bully to defend his behavior. The aggravated teen always denied taking the phone, yet some here have already convicted him! Gosh, gays all through America are being bullied every day and I am sure they are comforted by the lack of empathy here and the willingness to automatically believe the bully!

[caliguy]

The theft of the cell phone was never proven. It was merely an allegation cooked up by the bully to defend his behavior. The aggravated teen always denied taking the phone, yet some here have already convicted him! Gosh, gays all through America are being bullied every day and I am sure they are comforted by the lack of empathy here and the willingness to automatically believe the bully!

You're right. It's only an allegation that Noel had stole the phone. Why would he steal the phone when he was so desperate at the time he tried suicide?

 

With all the harassment that he endured I wouldn't trust anything said from the bully or any of the others around him who did their own share of harassing.

[Frankly Rich]

I've been thinking of Epigonos' comment that neither boy was a saint, and find it quite troubling as it seems to allow him to dismiss the matter and move on. Even if the tormented boy did take the cell phone, did he deserve what came next? How would anyone justify that? Is sainthood required to be free from bullying?

 

The NY Times has taken a further look: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/20/nyregion/signs-of-trouble-preceded-fatal-stabbing-at-school.html?contentCollection=nyregion&action=click&module=NextInCollection&region=Footer&pgtype=article

[+ Funguy]

Was anybody here bullied as a child?

 

I was not but, at 13, I had a friend at school who was mercilessly tormented by several older boys simply because he had a speech impediment. We are talking upper middle class. The bullying started as verbal and escalated to physical over a matter of months. His dad (single - mom had passed away) was a wealthy businessman and went to every agency, police included, that he could without any effect. The bullies' parents, equally high-powered, countered every move - oh! how could my sweet child be doing this? - until 2 other kids got a movie camera and started filming. Well Dad got the movies and showed them at a PTA meeting. My parents were there and said it was particularly gruesome - both the bullying caught on film as well as the reaction to the film.

 

I guess this was a "you tube" moment - back in the 60's. A few of the other parents got together, reamed out the parents of the bullies, and socially ostracized them.

 

Cut to - 30 years later. The kid who was bullied grew into one gorgeous hunk, had worked on self-defense, built his body, had speech therapy, and got the most beautiful girl around. He also had a very loving relationship with his dad who did his very best in raising him to be tolerant of all. The bullies got fat and bald and never amounted to anything. Their parents were and continue to be assholes.

 

When I look back on this, I realize how thankful I am that I was raised by loving parents who taught me right from wrong and insisted that I always be responsible for my own actions, take punishment when necessary, and praise when earned.

[Frankly Rich]

Nice post, funguy. It's 4:30 am and I am troubled that I have been too hard on Epigonos. Does anyone know if he is fragile? I guess we should assume that in all cases until proven otherwise.

[bigvalboy]

Many thanks Mr. Rich for the NY Times article. In detail, it has shed light on a tragic situation. There are many people to blame here, and I am sure there will be an abundance of finger pointing. In the end however, a troubled teen, raised in an environment that he had no control over, sits in jail, most likely terrified nore than any of us could possibly imagine, and another child lays dead. I was struck by the fact how so many of us are quick to judge, when in reality we know absolutely nothing about how tormented Noel was, and how all the adults in his life, professional and family alike, failed him. This is sad beyond words.

[Frankly Rich]

Indeed it is.

[+ azdr0710]

Nice post, funguy. It's 4:30 am and I am troubled that I have been too hard on Epigonos. Does anyone know if he is fragile? I guess we should assume that in all cases until proven otherwise.

 

 

yes, fun post, funguy!

 

Rich: Epigonos is VERY DEFINITELY NOT "fragile"....have met him a few times and he can certainly hold his own.....no problem!

[Epigonos]

Frankly Rich I am the last person in the world you have to worry about being fragile. I successfully taught high school for thirty plus years and thus developed a skin tougher than that of an elephant. In many ways I'm as hard as nails. I loved working with the high school age group and learned learned early on to be totally aware of what was going on in my classroom. I NEVER bullied my students nor were my students allowed to bully each other or myself for that matter. The problem with all the current emphasis on bulling today is that we really don't have a good definition of what constitutes bullying. To some insecure individuals a tone of voice or even a look can constitute bullying and that in my not so humble opinion is nonsense. It's a hard cruel world and kids need to learn how to operate in situations where they are not always treated like fragile flowers.

[Frankly Rich]

Oh, Epigonos, thank god for that response! Here I was, unable to sleep at 4 am for fear that I had gone too far and accused you of insensitivity to bullying. I pictured you, crumbled in bed, tears falling gently, wondering if you could return to the board for more punishment. Then you got excited, and...

 

Seriously, I was just trying to draw you back into the conversation! We would be so lucky to have your views detailed. From past experience, I know that you are one tough cookie and I need not fear a little flair in the conversation!

[bigvalboy]

Frankly Rich I am the last person in the world you have to worry about being fragile. I successfully taught high school for thirty plus years and thus developed a skin tougher than that of an elephant. In many ways I'm as hard as nails. I loved working with the high school age group and learned learned early on to be totally aware of what was going on in my classroom. I NEVER bullied my students nor were my students allowed to bully each other or myself for that matter. The problem with all the current emphasis on bulling today is that we really don't have a good definition of what constitutes bullying. To some insecure individuals a tone of voice or even a look can constitute bullying and that in my not so humble opinion is nonsense. It's a hard cruel world and kids need to learn how to operate in situations where they are not always treated like fragile flowers.

 

Are you saying that in regards to this case specifically?

[Epigonos]

No bigvalboy I was NOT referring specifically to this case. NONE of us know enough specifics regarding this case to make a VALID judgement one way or the other.

[Frankly Rich]

There was some talk earlier here that the bullied teen had stolen a cell phone from the bully, who was once his friend. I suggested there was no proof of any stolen phone, but a line in the Post today caught my eye. It says that the bully himself had stolen the cell phone and gave it to his then-friend to hide. But the mom destroyed it because she thought they could traced

http://nypost.com/2014/06/21/bronx-principal-flees-questions-about-bullying-death/

[Decatur Guy]

I was bullied somewhat growing up, and while it felt rather severe at the time, I now realize it could have been a good bit worse. It was nothing like the orchestrated horror stories I read about. And more than bullied, I was just sometimes treated rather insensitively rather than outright bullied.

 

Part of my problem was my Baptist upbringing and my belief that standing up for myself was somehow wrong. But one tormentor (the stereotypical football jock) finally pushed me too far. We got into a shoving/punching match. I lost. I didn't care about that so much as I played basketball and was used to falls, accidental hits, rough play, etc. But I was devastated that the other kids in school rooted for the bully and not for me. That just about did me in. I did feel suicidal for a few days when I realized how cruel and craven a gang of kids could be.

 

But I did turn a corner and that incident made me realize I could count only on myself to rectify the situation -- but that a straightforward, "noble" confrontation wasn't going to fix it either. Physically, I wasn't strong enough and mentally, I couldn't take another round of seeing a bully cheered on at my expense.

 

What I did next wasn't a proud moment but all I could think of: I started to pro-actively retaliate in sneaky ways. And I didn't wait to launch counterattacks. I started acting first, when I wasn't upset.

 

I started rumors about him (often in the guise of praise). I allowed him to cheat off my test but knowingly gave wrong answers. I read his journal (which I stole) and he was surprisingly sincere in it. I learned he was genuinely worried about our impending graduation from high school. Then I started walking up to groups where he was standing and I would bring up going to college every time, talking about how great I thought it would be or either pulling the opposite tack and talking about how different and difficult the classes would be (he wasn't an academic). I could see him lose confidence and get defensive the more I did that. I once stole an item from the locker of a girl he claimed to have fucked and put it in his. He got punished for that. Stuff like that ...

 

Now, that's not a proud chapter. But I fought back with the only means left to me besides violence. And the longer my campaign went on, the more confident I got and the more beleaguered he became. And he was so cocky and I was such a little church boy back then it never occurred to him or anyone to suspect me being behind any of those things, even when the evidence was pretty clear a couple of times. I just lied and got away with it (learning that habitual truth-tellers can get away with a lie or two). Once the scales were pretty much even, I backed off and we actually had a decent last semester together in high school and had a moment here and there of genuine bonding. We even got drunk together at party. I think my evident new confidence changed the relationship, but it took that subterfuge to gain it. Of course, I never revealed I was behind those mysterious torments for a year.

 

Like I said, I'm not proud. I wish straightforward confrontation would have done the trick. I don't regret it though. He had worse coming than I did to him.

 

In fact, I've even advised a few bullied people along the way to adapt similar actions. The horrible truth is the "noble way" doesn't always work for some victims of bullying. And for me, taking a gun from my house and shooting him was out of the question no matter how bad it got. It just wasn't an option. I had to find a third way, and that was it. You just have to be smart about it if you do it, and I had that going for me. I was smart about it.

[bigvalboy]

There was some talk earlier here that the bullied teen had stolen a cell phone from the bully, who was once his friend. I suggested there was no proof of any stolen phone, but a line in the Post today caught my eye. It says that the bully himself had stolen the cell phone and gave it to his then-friend to hide. But the mom destroyed it because she thought they could traced

http://nypost.com/2014/06/21/bronx-principal-flees-questions-about-bullying-death/

 

And now we see to what extent the adults and professionals in his life failed him. An "appalling" home life, and an administrator at 143K a year who "flees" questioning.