A Virginia teenager was shot to death this week by her ex-boyfriend in a suspected murder-suicide just weeks after seeking a no-contact order against him.
Serenity Hawley, of Blacksburg, was just two days shy of her 18th birthday when her ex-boyfriend, Croney Monk, allegedly shot her in the chest before turning the gun on himself Tuesday, her devastated family told 10 News.
The former couple’s bodies were later found in Hawley’s car in a local parking lot, according to the Roanoke Times.
Hawley sought a no-contact order against Monk through Blacksburg High School about a month before the tragedy, complaining that he harassed and blackmailed her, according to her family.
“I think this could have been avoided,” his mother, Heather Waldron, told the outlet.
“People in leadership positions knew that he has a history or a past, and I think if that had been fixed, we wouldn’t be here,” the grieving mother said.
“I just hope this is a wake-up call for others who might be in this situation. And I hope this prevents another person, another parent, from living this nightmare.”
Hawley was two days shy of his 18th birthday.WSLS
Hawley’s father, John Hawley, said his daughter was being bullied by her ex, but mostly kept it a secret from her family.
“She was getting this whole rainbow of experience. We didn’t know. She didn’t tell us that,” she lamented.
“But today we found out that, yes, in the hallways he would walk in front of her and make his presence known, and he would just do different things.
“I was on social media constantly. He was blackmailing her, telling her that she was going to show this and that. “That’s not the kind of thing kids should do.”
Hawley and her boyfriend were found dead in a parking lot earlier this week.WSLS
Hawley’s stepmother, Katherine Hawley, also said, “We discovered a lot of things after the fact that we wish we had known.”
“Violence in any form, especially domestic violence, is serious,” she said.
They plan to use some of the funds from GoFundMe, which as of Friday had raised nearly $21,000, about $6,000 more than its $15,000 goal, to create a scholarship in his memory.
“And also volunteer and talk about domestic violence with teenagers, because that’s where it starts,” her father told WDBJ.
“If we can do something with his passing to help someone else escape this kind of torment, then that’s what we want to do. “We know she would want us to have some kind of action.”
Hawley’s mother, Heather (left), said she tried to get her daughter a restraining order before she was killed.WDBJ
Montgomery County Public Schools did not immediately respond to messages Friday about what steps, if any, were taken to help the now-slain girl.
“First and foremost in our thoughts are the families and loved ones of the two children who lost their lives,” the district said in a statement, adding that “I can’t imagine” what Hawley’s family is “going through.” .
“We are deeply saddened by this loss and are doing everything we can as a community to cope with the devastating impact.”
The Blacksburg Police Department confirmed that Tuesday’s shooting was a single incident and that there is no notable threat to the public, WDBJ said.
The family of Monk, a Blacksburg High School junior and former college football player, has not commented on the deaths.
Hawley, a senior, was recently accepted to Virginia Tech, which she was “very excited” to attend, her father said.
“She was a great girl. I mean, she couldn’t have asked for a better son,” the devastated father told 10 News.
His mother said the slain teen was also “very lively.”
“She was just larger than life. And to know that she’s gone is just unreal,” Waldron added.
“It’s like a nightmare you can’t wake up from,” the mother said.
Categories: Trending
Source: vtt.edu.vn