July 22, 2010 2:13 PM

'Jessi Slaughter' YouTube Cyberbully Case: 11-Year-Old Tells GMA She Didn't Want it to Go This Far

By
Caroline Black
Topics
Daily Blotter

'Jessi Slaughter' (YouTube)

NEW YORK (CBS)  An 11-year-old girl from Florida known online as 'Jessi Slaughter' is at the center of a cyberbullying frenzy, after she posted online videos threatening to kill her own online tormentors.

However, the seventh grader's attempts to get her alleged harassers to back down failed miserably, fueling a viral spiral that features her own profanity-laced You Tube videos; these, in turn, have led to death threats and a psychological evaluation of her.

The young girl - whose real name is Jessica Leonhardt - told Good Morning America Thursday that the escalating bullying began with postings aimed at her, regarding her alleged sexual history. In response, she said she used her webcam merely as a way to vent.

In her initial rant, which lasts almost five minutes, Jessi tells "hater-b*****s" they are jealous of her, her boyfriend, and her life.

She tells her alleged bullies, "'I'm happy with my life okay? And if you can't, like, realize that and stop hating you know what? I'll pop a glock in your mouth and make a brain slushy."

Despite the harsh language, 'Jessi Slaughter' claims she never meant for it to go this far.

"It's just, I had no words running through my mind," she told GMA. "It was all done live and that was just a way to get out my anger."

State police are now investigating the alleged bullying and insisted 'Jessi' be sent to a mental heath facility because they believed she might be suicidal.

In an ironic twist, the 11-year-old told GMA at the end of her interview, "I think that's completely wrong that people would taunt people to some degree that they would actually kill themselves over it. And that's actually completely wrong and whoever is doing it should be locked away for a really long time."

'Jessi Slaughter' is currently undergoing counseling and said she just wants to be left alone.


Good Morning America 



Add a Comment See all 47 Comments
by thingymabob July 28, 2010 8:42 AM EDT
you do know that she is still on the internet?!?!?
shes still acting exactly the same! she sickens me.

http://www.youtube.com/user/XxXJessiSlaughterXxX#p/a/u/1/Q9wSnSukZ7U
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by oldnokomis July 24, 2010 10:47 PM EDT
I watch the entire video, and the one in which her father appears. I find there is a portion of the first video suggests this child is in the greatest danger from her own father and that her mother is battling to keep him in check. This child is screaming for help. I hope CBS and the rest of the country can hear her past her anger and give her the help and strength and rescue.
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by DrJohanzaKafuhu July 24, 2010 9:25 PM EDT
Look, we all said stupid things as kids. Everyone I see is "shocked" at the language, well when I was a kid 26 some years ago we used to joke about the word F***. I was about 9, and none of us knew what it meant but we liked to pretend we did. Thing is, we didnt have the internet. But to make a big deal of out this is pointless. Sure she acted the fool, but don't we all. She had a nice cry about it, and she has learned a lesson. All of her "bullies" will learn to mellow out someday, their just kids too. Point is kids are stupid, its our job to make them not stupid. They make mistakes, learn lessons and get over it.
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by NapalmDe4th July 27, 2010 5:05 PM EDT
Yes, but most of the stupid things we said didn't involve bestiality or killing other people. The reason she got made fun of is because she invited any and all criticism by her behavior. She has not learned any lesson if she can cry to any news outlet that wants a story and pretend to be the victim, when, in reality, she was the first aggressor. And believe it or not, the "bullies" could very well be middle-aged or older. It's the internet, you just never know, which is why A).You shouldn't be on it if you're young B). Not take it seriously, chances are, a hate comment is just there to get you mad. And no, it is not my job, or that of anyone on the internet, to make anyone smarter. That is not our responsibility or duty.
by OmegaWolf747 July 24, 2010 1:18 PM EDT
Sounds like Jessi Slaughter was bullied until she just couldn't take it anymore. As a person who was bullied in a similar fashion at her age, I too released acidic diatribes against my bullies in the privacy of my home. The difference was, YouTube wasn't even a gleam in a computer programmer's eye back then. The lesson is the same, if you want to vent, great, but don't leave a trail behind you for someone to pick up on and insist you need counseling.
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by FauxFox May 13, 2011 9:26 AM EDT
Yes, but, she had this coming. She was the one posting the videos about "making brain slushies" she was even stupid enough to make videos of her breaking down on her webcam! She bragged about how "perfect" she was and how she had how many boyfriends? 3? 4? 5? I don't know. But lets please try to keep the stupid people off the internet. It never works out and always ends like this. An immature conceited "beautiful" person, usually a girl, always goes to the news claiming how abused they were over the internet. Its just pointless
by BigMykul July 24, 2010 11:56 AM EDT
11 years old. Firsy dear girl, you shouldn't be doing what you are doing and it is your parents that need to be drawn, quartered, tarred and feathered

That sounds messy. Drawn and quartered means your body has been cut into 4 pieces. You plan on dipping the blooody hunks in tar and feathers?
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by MilitaryRetiree July 24, 2010 1:27 PM EDT
Great thoughs. Your comments are EXACTLY what I was thinking. This kid is 11 years old, and "ranting"? ? ? What does she have to rant about ? ? But I am NOT taking sides with those "bullies" either. I don't think she really has a right to rant about anything until she's about 24 or 25 and has a life of her own. Her parents should be monitoring her activities more closely, rather than encourating this.
by istoleurchckn July 23, 2010 8:04 PM EDT
whatever happened to a good ol' fashioned butt whopping? I tell you, if the parents don't reprimand their children, someone ELSE will. And they won't have the reserve that a parent would have. Beat that ASS!
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by rlqfogarty July 23, 2010 5:36 PM EDT
Her response to being bullied isn't that outrageous for someone her age. Having taught kids in this age group, I know. Kids at this age are very dramatic, sometimes socially inept, awkward, and can make choices that seem unusual. This young girl was reacting to a situation she didn't understand and couldn't control herself. Bullying is real and very damaging to a person being bullied. I don't believe that this young girl should be sentenced for her response to a very hurtful situation.

On the other hand, her case proves just how crucial it is to teach our young people just how to handle such situations. They aren't born with skills but can definately learn from them. It needs to begin at home with parents and then perhaps the schools can address the issue with students. Bullying is real and only getting worse. Before more kids suffer the consequences of bullying, adults in their lives need to take responsibility and teach these kids alternative ways to handle such situations.
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by idontknowyeah July 23, 2010 4:21 PM EDT
HELLO! people!! OMG media is stupid! They never get the right story!!! Don;t you remember she took a semi-nude picture of herself???? hello she's 11!!!!! And now all the media feels sad for her! why?? she honestly deserves it for her bad mouthing attitude!!
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by Harden_Tar July 23, 2010 1:47 PM EDT
"Sexual history"!? At 11?
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by httpwwwnews July 23, 2010 1:30 PM EDT
The only reason any child under the age of 16 should be on a computer is for educational purposes and they should be closely monitored while doing so. There are tons of resources for study, math and reading web sites, educational games, all good for kids. Social networking should not be an option for children. 11 is too young for boy-girl friends. Parents, what's wrong with saying, "That's for when you're older, you'll need to wait until you're old enough to date."???

They need balanced activities such as outdoors play, study time (yes, even in summer they should spend part of everyday reading...) family activities/chores/mealtimes, and in person social times with friends. Spending too much time on video gaming, computers and watching tv breeds agressive worldly kids who have cynical attitudes and little interest in school work.

Get this kid in some sports or dance classes, monitor her freetime and for heaven's sake use the parental controls on your browser.
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by OmegaWolf747 July 24, 2010 1:17 PM EDT
What decade are you from, the 1950s?
by wrassler October 11, 2010 5:42 PM EDT
As much as we wish this was the case today, kids are growing up in an age where parents are severely protective of their kids' activities outside and at school. The computer tends to be their only outlet for their fun. :/ Jessi Slaughter was in the wrong, however, for the things she had said. She invited bullies into her life, then made a ********* and tried to play victim. She doesn't deserve all this attention.
I wholeheartedly agree with what you're saying about kids getting a balanced amount of activities in their life, but like I've said, try recommending to a parent that their kid should play some basketball in the nearby playground. More often than not, the parent will recoil with horror, claiming that there could be so many creepy people that would want to kill/kidnap/molest/rape their child, and how unsanitary it is as well. If we didn't live in such a time where people were more sane, then I'm sure that this would be a more likely situation.
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