Girls Arrested For Bullying After 12-Year-Old Commits Suicide

By Paul Thomson :: 10:37 PM

Two Florida girls, Guadalupe Shaw, 14, and Katelyn Roman, 12, were arrested on Monday in connection with the suicide death last month of 12-year-old Rebecca Sedwick.

Sedwick jumped off of a tower on September 19th after enduring repeated harassment from the Shaw and Roman, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s office. Sedwick had allegedly dated Shaw’s former boyfriend, which is what started the bullying and attacks against her.

The verbal harassment occurred from December 2012 to February 2013

Police investigating the circumstances of Sedwick’s suicide discovered that the girls sent messages to Rebecca on social media sites, like Facebook, which called her “ugly,” and told her to “drink bleach and die.” At least one message was sent that encouraged Rebecca to take her own life. In addition to the online threats, both girls had made physical threats against Sedwick, and engaged her in a fight at least one time.

The girls were charged with felony counts of aggravated stalking.

Over the weekend, the older girl published this message to her Facebook account: “Yes I know I bullied Rebecca and she killed herself, but IDGAF.”

Both Shaw and Roman were booked into juvenile facilities in the county, and then released to the custody of their parents, where they will remain on home detention until a trial date is set.