Latest news with #schoolviolence
News24
a day ago
- News24
Two pupils charged in Pretoria schoolboy's fatal stabbing appear in court
Two Lesedi Secondary School pupils appeared in the Bronkhorstspruit Magistrate's Court for the alleged premeditated murder of Grade 10 pupil Lethabo Mokonyane. The brutal incident, suspected to stem from bullying, occurred on 17 June outside school premises in Donkerhoek, Pretoria. The accused, wearing balaclavas and absent from school on the day, allegedly attacked and stabbed Mokonyane, who succumbed to his injuries hours later. Two pupils from Lesedi Secondary School made their first appearance in the Bronkhorstspruit Magistrates' Court on Friday in connection with the murder of fellow pupil Lethabo Mokonyane. Mlehalinye Montasi, 20, a Grade 12 pupil, and Kgotlhello Mathabathe, 19, a Grade 10 pupil, are charged with premeditated murder for allegedly stabbing and killing Mokonyane. The incident, believed to stem from a case of bullying, took place on 17 June outside the school's premises in Donkerhoek, Pretoria. According to the National Prosecuting Authority, Mokonyane, a Grade 10 pupil, had finished writing his exams when he encountered the two accused on his way to the school gate. '[They] started fighting with him. One of the accused persons apprehended him while the other stabbed him with a sharp object twice in the stomach and on his back,' said NPA spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana. 'Thereafter, they ran away. Mokonyane was then taken to hospital, where he died a few hours later.' According to a report by the Gauteng Department of Education, the two pupils who allegedly stabbed Mokonyane were wearing balaclavas and had not attended classes on the day. Mokonyane's aunt had previously attributed the stabbing to bullying, calling on pupils to speak up when they are being targeted. The court case was postponed to 7 July for the bail application. Mahanjana said the state intends to oppose their release on bail.
CTV News
2 days ago
- CTV News
Group of fifth grade girls accused of plotting the murder of their classmate at U.S. school
Watch A group of 10 and 11-year-old girls were arrested in Arizona after allegedly plotting to stage the murder of a classmate as a suicide at the school.
News.com.au
3 days ago
- News.com.au
‘Just end him': Four Year 5 girls' sinister plot to kill male classmate, fake his suicide
Four fifth-grade girls in Arizona devised a plot to kill a male classmate and make it look like a suicide – with one of the students caught smiling and laughing as she made excuses to investigators, police said. A newly released report from the Surprise Police Department revealed the disturbing facts behind the arrest of a group of girls, ages 10 and 11, who were set to stab a boy to death during their lunch break at the Legacy Traditional School in October, per The New York Post. The suspects had agreed to 'just end him' in the schoolyard over cheating allegations following a break-up, AZ Family reported. Each girl was allegedly given a role as they planned to lure the boy to an outdoor bathroom and stab him in the stomach, according to the police report. One was tasked with bringing a knife, while another would forge a suicide note to make it appear as though the boy had taken his own life. Another girl would serve as a lookout while the fourth would carry out the stabbing. The would-be murderer was also instructed to wear gloves to avoid leaving fingerprints on the knife. The girls set the date to enact the plan on October 1, 2024, but some other students had overheard the details of the murder plot and informed school officials before it happened. All four students were then arrested by Surprise Police and charged with threatening and misdemeanour disorderly conduct. Three of the girls showed remorse when confronted by police and school administrators, but officials noted that the fourth girl would start smiling and laughing when coming up with excuses over the murder plot. Surprise Police said the girls were released to their parents following their arrest and suspended from school with expulsion pending. The department said it does not plan to share further details about the incident. School officials did not immediately respond to The Post's request for comment. The twisted plot is reminiscent of the 2014 'Slender Man' stabbing, in which Wisconsin 12-year-old girls Morgan Geyser and Anissa Weier lured their friend, Payton Leutner, to a park after a sleepover. In a savage attack that aimed to please the aforementioned horror movie character, Geyser stabbed Leutner 19 times while Weier cheered on.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Daily Mail
Arizona police uncover chilling 'murder plot by 5th grade girls against cheating boyfriend'
A group of fifth grade girls planned to murder their male classmate after he allegedly cheated on and broke up with one of them, police said. The four female students at a K-8 charter school in Surprise, Arizona, planned to stab the boy in the stomach and leave a phony suicide note, according to a police report obtained by AZFamily. The students, aged 10 to 11-years-old, hatched the scheme while at a lunch table during recess at Legacy Traditional School's West Surprise campus on October 1, 2024, the report claimed. Police said each girl had been assigned a role in the chilling plot. One would bring the knife, while another would write the suicide note to make it appear as though the boy ended his own life. The third girl would stand as a lookout, while the fourth would stab him to death. The plan was to lure him to an outside bathroom on the north side of the school building, according to police. The girls even planned to wear gloves to avoid leaving fingerprints on the murder weapon, the report said. The plot was foiled after another student overheard the plan and heard one of the girls say they wanted to, 'just end him', according to police. One of the students who overheard told their parent, who then contacted Assistant Principal Jerod Burleson. Burleson, who has been employed at the school since 2023, told the school resource officer that an eyewitness had heard, 'a group of students planning to kill a student at school,' the police report said. The next morning, on October 2, the girls came to the school's front office with their parents. Their bags were searched and they were individually questioned with their parents present. All four children were arrested on charges of threatening and disorderly conduct, both of which were misdemeanor level crimes. They were charged as juveniles. Three of the girls showed remorse, but the fourth kept smiling and laughing while making excuses for what she had done, according to the report. Daily Mail approached Legacy Traditional School for further comment. Surprise Police told the New York Post that the girls were released to their parents after their arrest and were suspended pending expulsion. AZCentral confirmed that one of the students involved participated in a juvenile diversion program as an alternative to court proceedings. This case bears some similarity to the 2014 'Slender Man' stabbing, when two 12-year-old Wisconsin girls lured their friend, also 12, into the woods and stabbed her over a dozen times. This case bears some similarity to the 2014 'Slender Man' stabbing, when two 12-year-old Wisconsin girls lured their friend, also 12, into the woods and stabbed her over a dozen times. Earlier this year, a judge made the controversial decision to initiate the release of Morgan Geyser, one of the girls who pleaded guilty to the stabbing. The case also drew comparisons to the Netflix show Adolescence, in which a 13-year-old boy stabs a female classmate to death after being radicalized by content viewed online. Child psychology experts have suggested that the girls involved in the alleged plot may have been exposed to inappropriate content on the internet and cautioned parents against allowing their children to have unfettered access. 'We should never ignore or dismiss delinquent behavior by young people, but we should address it with effective, evidence-based and promising interventions,' Liz Ryan, administrator for the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, told AZCentral.
CBS News
4 days ago
- CBS News
Family of teen stabbed to death on Santa Ana school campus files legal claim against district
The family of the teenager killed during a stabbing on the Santa Ana High School campus has filed a legal claim against the school district. They plan to sue to the Santa Ana Unified School District, claiming that administration and staff members at the high school were negligent, despite being aware of school safety issues and potential security problems for years. Their son, 14-year-old Armando Morales was stabbed to death on May 7 after classes ended for the day and a fight broke out. "For me, as mom, I was thinking that my child was safe, more at school than being out here in the streets," said Morales' mother Branda Aburto, during a news conference outside of the school on Tuesday. "But no. They fail on me. They fail." Hours after the stabbing, two students turned themselves into police and have remained in custody since. At least one of the pair was charged with murder, which investigators believe may have been gang-related as the they are both documented members. They further noted that the only person involved in the fight that was not gang-affiliated was Morales, who was trying to protect one of the students involved. "All of this could have been avoided if the school district had been fulfilling its obligations to protect the students under state law," said Luis Carrillo, one of the attorneys representing the family. "The students that are in their care are like their children." Attorneys further noted that the school district was allegedly put on notice by the Santa Ana School Police Officer's Association nearly two years ago, amid reports of fights happening both on and off campus. They shared a letter outlining those safety concerns for students and staff that was issued in light of a shortage of officers to patrol school grounds. "What we see is the school board, the school district itself, didn't take any steps between August of 2023 and May 7th to address those needs," said Michael Carrillo, another attorney who is also representing the family. "Now, after the event, of course they put more security, more staff out in front. ... Where were those safety measures taken before the tragedy?" SAUSD shared a statement with CBS News Los Angeles upon request for comment. Though they said they are unable to comment on pending litigation they said that "the safety and well-being of our students remains our highest priority. We continue to be focused on maintaining a safe, inclusive and supportive learning environment for all students."
