A Virginia teenager was killed by her ex-boyfriend in an alleged murder-suicide two days before her 18th birthday, according to local news outlets.
The Blacksburg (Va.) Police Department said in a news release that two high school students were found dead in a garage Tuesday, but did not identify the teenagers. The mother of one of the students identified one of the teenagers as her daughter, Serenity Hawley told WSLS. She told the newspaper that Serenity was shot in the chest by her ex-boyfriend, who then fatally shot himself. Her parents also told her Roanoke Times and WDBJ -7 that Serenity died of a murder-suicide.
Police have not confirmed whether the deaths are the result of a murder-suicide, but said there is no ongoing threat to the community.
Serenity, 17, was recently accepted to Virginia Tech, WSLS reports. Her mother, Heather Waldron, told WSLS that Serenity School had issued a no-contact order between the two teenagers and that there had been an incident between the two about a month ago.
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Serenity’s family started a GoFundMe that raised more than $20,000.
“To know serenity was to know love and kindness,” reads the GoFundMe description. “She sent him wherever she went and left no one untouched in the room she shared. She was beautiful, smart and loved by everyone, she was taken from us too soon.”
“She is a daughter, sister, friend, teammate and student, whom we will cherish and remember for the memories we all shared with her,” the description continues. “She is innocence, beauty, happiness, compassion and love, all blurred into one. We know her memory will serve as a constant inspiration and reminder to keep love at the center of your life.”
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or go to thehotline.org. All calls are free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education