A 15-year-old girl in New York, whose name is being withheld by police due to her age, is facing charges of manslaughter in the first degree and attempted assault in the first degree. According to CBS2 New York, the charges may also be upgraded, pending a grand jury review.
On April 8, the suspect allegedly stabbed 16-year-old Kayla Green after she was participating in a celebration for Mount Vernon High School’s basketball team.
The 15-year-old had a history of bullying Green, and had shown off the weapon on social media earlier in the day. Later that day, she confronted Green as she was armed with the knife, and stabbed her in the back and on her side.
An officer tried to get involved in the altercation, but Green died on her way to the hospital. Her best friend was stabbed as well, but she is expected to recover from her injuries.
“Kayla was a beautiful big sister and a special young woman with dreams and ambitions of becoming a doctor one day. She was a cheerleader, a captain, an inspiration,” Shannae Heywood, a spokesperson for the victim’s family, said to CBS2 at a vigil on April 11.
After the stabbing, it was reported that the suspect fled the scene of the crime and tried to get rid of the knife.
Her defense attorney, Pamela Hayes, says, “Everyone is jumping to conclusions. The things that are being said have nothing to do with what happened here,” the CBS2 reported.
A GoFundMe has been set up by Green’s family, describing the 16-year-old as an “honor roll student and a talented dancer” who was “loved and admired by everyone in her community, school, and family.” According to the post, Green had just celebrated her 16th birthday three weeks earlier.
