14 DAY TRIAL // Police have made two arrests in the Rebecca Sedwick suicide case. The 12-year-old Florida girl jumped from a silo tower at an empty factory, after being bullied online and in class.
On at least one occasion, she was told to drink bleach and take her own life. Her family was aware of the harassment.
“When she was being bullied at Crystal Lake Middle, she used to come home every day and tell me how she wasn’t worth anything, that she was ugly, how she was stupid,” her mom describes.
“She has been bullied before and people had told her she needed to kill herself. [...] But we all thought she was fine now. No one had known,” her sister, Summer Howard, adds.
“You're ugly,” “Why are you still alive?” and “Go kill yourself” are just some of the things that the girl heard.
The 14-year-old girl making the statements has been arrested, and she has been identified as Guadalupe Shaw.
According to the Orlando Sentinel, a second girl, 12, was detained. The latter was once Rebecca's friend, but turned on her, and Daily Mail informs that her name is Katelyn Roman.
ABC News reveals that Roman was suspended when urged by her new, 14-year-old friend, to “beat up” Rebecca. The incident took place in February 2013.
Both teens were charged with felony aggravated stalking. The arrests were prompted by a message posted online by Shaw.
“Yes, I bullied Rebecca and she killed herself but I don't give a [expletive]. [...] You can add the last word yourself,” she has posted, as reported by Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd.
“Several students corroborated stories of both girls bullying Sedwick on different occasions, through name-calling, intimidation, threats to beat her up, and at least one actual physical fight,” the sheriff adds.
Shaw started attacking Rebecca when she was dating her ex-boyfriend. She would also bully the victim's friends.
“We decided that we can't leave her out there. Who else is she going to torment, who else is she going to harass?” Judd says.
Shaw is awaiting another hearing and she is in the custody of the Department of Juvenile Justice. Roman has been released but she is currently on house arrest.