Phoebe Prince Bullying Case: 3 Plead Not Guilty
Christo Bilukidi #96 walks off the field after practice of the Oakland Raiders Rookie Minicamp on May 12, 2012 at the Oakland Raiders Training Facility in Alameda, California. / Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images
Three Massachusetts teenagers pleaded not guilty through their lawyers Tuesday in the bullying of a 15-year-old girl who committed suicide after what prosecutors call months of threats and harassment.
The teens were not required to appear at the hearing in Hampshire Superior Court.
Sean Mulveyhill and Kayla Narey, both 17 and from South Hadley, and 18-year-old Austin Renaud, of Springfield, will remain free on personal recognizance on the condition that they stay away from the family of Phoebe Prince, the girl who died.
Mulveyhill and Renaud are charged with statutory rape. Mulveyhill and Narey are also charged with violation of civil rights resulting in bodily injury, criminal harassment and disturbance of a school assembly.
They are among six teens charged in what prosecutors said was the "unrelenting" bullying of Prince, who hanged herself Jan. 14. Prince, who had emigrated from Ireland last summer, was a freshman at South Hadley High School.
Authorities said she was harassed and bullied after having a brief relationship with a popular boy. They have not identified the boy, but friends said it was Mulveyhill, who was a star football player at South Hadley High School.
Northwestern District Attorney Elizabeth Scheibel, who announced the charges March 29, said the events before Phoebe's death on Jan. 14 were "the culmination of a nearly three-month campaign of verbally assaultive behavior and threats of physical harm" that was widely known among the student body.
On the day she died, Prince had been bullied in the library, threatened in school hallways, and had a drink thrown at her while she walked home.
"The investigation revealed relentless activity directed toward Phoebe designed to humiliate her and to make it impossible for her to remain at school," said Scheibel. "The bullying for her became intolerable."
On CBS' "The Early Show" educator Barbara Coloroso said bullying should not be written off as "just part of growing up."
"It's about utter contempt for another human being," she said. "And it's so important that we stop that in its tracks."
Renaud's lawyer, Terrence Dunphy, would not comment on the relationship between Prince and Renaud or the statutory rape charge against him. He said lawyers have not received any information yet from prosecutors on what evidence they have.
"I can't get into the defense when I don't know what the evidence is," Dunphy said after the hearing.
A pretrial hearing for Mulveyhill, Narey and Renaud was scheduled for Sept. 15.
Three other teens - Ashley Longe, Flannery Mullins and Sharon Chanon Velazquez - are scheduled to be arraigned Thursday in Franklin-Hampshire Juvenile Court in Hadley.
Prosecutors said last month that faculty and administrators will not be charged, even though authorities say some of them knew about the bullying and that Phoebe's mother brought her concerns to at least two of them. Prosecutors say although the school was aware of the bullying, failure to act prior to Prince's death did not amount to criminal behavior.
"Nevertheless, the actions - or inactions - of some adults at the school are troublesome," Scheibel said.
© 2010 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report. The teens were not required to appear at the hearing in Hampshire Superior Court.
Sean Mulveyhill and Kayla Narey, both 17 and from South Hadley, and 18-year-old Austin Renaud, of Springfield, will remain free on personal recognizance on the condition that they stay away from the family of Phoebe Prince, the girl who died.
Mulveyhill and Renaud are charged with statutory rape. Mulveyhill and Narey are also charged with violation of civil rights resulting in bodily injury, criminal harassment and disturbance of a school assembly.
They are among six teens charged in what prosecutors said was the "unrelenting" bullying of Prince, who hanged herself Jan. 14. Prince, who had emigrated from Ireland last summer, was a freshman at South Hadley High School.
Authorities said she was harassed and bullied after having a brief relationship with a popular boy. They have not identified the boy, but friends said it was Mulveyhill, who was a star football player at South Hadley High School.
Northwestern District Attorney Elizabeth Scheibel, who announced the charges March 29, said the events before Phoebe's death on Jan. 14 were "the culmination of a nearly three-month campaign of verbally assaultive behavior and threats of physical harm" that was widely known among the student body.
On the day she died, Prince had been bullied in the library, threatened in school hallways, and had a drink thrown at her while she walked home.
"The investigation revealed relentless activity directed toward Phoebe designed to humiliate her and to make it impossible for her to remain at school," said Scheibel. "The bullying for her became intolerable."
On CBS' "The Early Show" educator Barbara Coloroso said bullying should not be written off as "just part of growing up."
"It's about utter contempt for another human being," she said. "And it's so important that we stop that in its tracks."
Renaud's lawyer, Terrence Dunphy, would not comment on the relationship between Prince and Renaud or the statutory rape charge against him. He said lawyers have not received any information yet from prosecutors on what evidence they have.
"I can't get into the defense when I don't know what the evidence is," Dunphy said after the hearing.
A pretrial hearing for Mulveyhill, Narey and Renaud was scheduled for Sept. 15.
Three other teens - Ashley Longe, Flannery Mullins and Sharon Chanon Velazquez - are scheduled to be arraigned Thursday in Franklin-Hampshire Juvenile Court in Hadley.
Prosecutors said last month that faculty and administrators will not be charged, even though authorities say some of them knew about the bullying and that Phoebe's mother brought her concerns to at least two of them. Prosecutors say although the school was aware of the bullying, failure to act prior to Prince's death did not amount to criminal behavior.
"Nevertheless, the actions - or inactions - of some adults at the school are troublesome," Scheibel said.
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Is there such a thing as criminal neglect? Those teachers are supposed to be there for you. Where was the school counselor and the superindent? Those teachers should be repriminded for allowing this to go on.
I've come home egged by them, chocolate cake smashed into my face, multiple bruises, black eyes, and constantly attacked at that private catholic school.
The students were surprised when it was announced that I was going to a college prep school and they were going to the dorm school of idiots.
I had to get away from them one way or the other.
I wish I could sue the school or church for what happened to me then...
That occurred long ago now.
I have seen many students follow an adult leader who takes the adage of "The Best Defense is a Good Offense" and transform that idea into bullying others around. Others tout that development of conflict resolution skills requires a well-rounded education and experience of both the civil type and the street type.
Those youths who exhibit no conscience about victimizing others through aggressive behavior or harassment need to face the criminal justice system and be shown the errors of their ways.
I have heard about numerous kinds of bullying and cruelty from pushing wheelchair bound citizens down the stairway to teasing students with speech impediments. The result is always the same - an emotionally damaged human with few connections, friends and resources available for recovery, is left to suffer and die.
Upon conviction, those youths should be locked up in juvenile detention until they attain the age of 18 years old.
Almost everyone on this post so far has these kids guilty. Let's allow the courts to handle the matter in a professional setting and allow the facts to be heard.
Lots of kids commit suicide over stupid things. We will find out in a trial and should leave it for professionals.
I think it is called "presumed innocent until proven guilty".
Almost everyone on this post so far has these kids guilty. Let's allow the courts to handle the matter in a professional setting and allow the facts to be heard.
Yup, like I said in my other post, I think that you were a bully or your friends were bullies.
They will get their day in court, but there were plenty of witnesses to the bullying. I doubt they were all lying.
But they are presumed innocent until proven guilty, would you not agree.
I have had to listen to people proclaim "but OJ was found not guilty" for far too long. So please spare me your tired comments.
And I'm not surprised they plead not guilty...none of these cowards has the cojones to actually admit anything and do their time.
It's thanks to liberal judges, wimpy parents, and a sick culture that we have little Hitlers running around this country today.
It's too bad we can't try both the kids and their parents. These little turds did not end up the way they are without a little help from "mommie and daddie".
I just hope they get 25 years of taking broken glass colonics from their angry cellmate Tyrone. Hell I hope Tyrone bullies them to death, that would be poetic justice.
This school, especially the principal also bears much responsibility.
Why was no one in authority paying attention?
Someone needed to step-up-to-the-plate.
From kindergarten on, our children are our most precious gifts entrusted to educators; noon duties; security; someone should have stepped up...Shame on you