Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Jamey Rodemeyer's bullies will not be charged after his suicide

Police closed the Jamey Rodemeyer case today without prosecuting any of his bullies, saying they lacked proof he'd been harassed.

Rodemeyer killed himself in September after facing bullying that he "could never escape,” he said in posts on the Internet. But Amherst Police Chief John Askey said that despite the 14-year-old's complaints online about bullying, there wasn't enough evidence of what happened, and it couldn't be pinned to any single student.

"In most cases, you need a victim and a complaint," Askey told the Buffalo News, noting that he isn't satisfied with the outcome.

After their son's death, Rodemeyer's parents shared a story on the Today show of how their daughter had gone to a school dance to take her mind off the death of her brother only to be met with taunts of "better off dead." The superintendent identified the student responsible for the chants and issued a suspension, taking the punishment "to the fullest extent allowed under education law."

That appears to be where the punishment will stop in the Rodemeyer case. The superintendent said he planned more education about the effects of bullying.

More at the Advocate.com

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