The teenager accused of stabbing his two classmates, one fatally, said the attacks came after years of bullying about his sexuality and a suicide attempt the day before.
Abel Cedano told ABC New York that he initially tried to walk away on September 27 when his classmates wouldn’t stop bullying him.
‘I was near the entrance to the classroom,’ he told the outlet. ‘And they continued to throw stuff. The class was very rowdy and loudness and everything.
‘I just snapped. I started screaming and screaming.’
The 18-year-old was released on a bail of $250,000 in November and was charged with manslaughter. He has been accused of stabbing Matthew McCree, 15, and Ariane Laboy, 16, during the school day at Urban Assembly School for Wildlife Conservation in the Bronx.
Abel Cedano said he stabbed his two classmates, one fatally, when he snapped after years of being bullied for being gay. He also said that on the day before the attack he attempted to commit suicide
Cedano has been accused of stabbing Matthew McCree, 15, left, and Ariane Laboy, 16, right. McCree died in the attack, and Cedano, 18, is now facing manslaughter charges
McCree died from the stab wounds, but Laboy pulled through after being in a coma for more than one day. Cedano pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Cedano told ABC that he’s been bullied since middle school when he first started struggling with being gay.
He said classmates called him ‘derogatory’ words and mocked his flamboyant nature – saying he must be gay because he was ‘growing out his hair and has a high-pitched voice.’
Cedano also said that the years of bullying lead him to attempt to commit suicide the day before the attack.
‘I tried to overdose on some pills, but the next day I woke up,’ he explained.
‘I didn’t want to be surrounded by those kids. Whenever I went to school, I felt trapped. Like i was put in a cage with a whole bunch of animals.’
His family has said they plan to sue the New York City public school system, saying more could have been done to prevent the alleged bullying and incident.
Cedano explained that his mother complained to the administration earlier in the year and even attempted to have him transferred to a different school, but said nobody would listen to her.
Cedano told ABC that he’s been bullied since middle school when he first started struggling with being gay. He said classmates called him ‘derogatory’ words and mocked him
Cedano allegedly attacked the classmates during the school day at Urban Assembly School for Wildlife Conservation in the Bronx, pictured
Cedano also said that the years of bullying lead him to attempt to commit suicide the day before the attack. Pictured is the knife used in the attack
This isn’t the first time that Cedano has blamed years of bullying for the fatal attack.
Cedano gave a press conference at Rikers Island on September 29, where was being held after being arrested for stabbing McCree, to explain he’d been pushed to breaking point by his tormentors at school.
The teen explained that he’s been bullied since sixth grade because he is gay, and that ‘didn’t mean to kill him.’
‘They bully me because I’m different. I’m not like other boys,’ Cedano said, according to the New York Post. ‘I guess I just snapped, I didn’t mean to kill him.’
A spokesperson for the New York City Department of Education told ABC: ‘Nothing is more important than the safety of students and staff, and the tragedy is being investigated.’
Laboy’s family also hired a high-power New York City attorney after their son came out of a coma two days after the attack.
The teen was rushed to hospital after the attack finally woke up from a coma Friday September 29, while Cedeno was treated and arrested. McCree was confirmed dead the same day he was attacked.
‘My client and his family are completely devastated by this tragedy that could have and should have been prevented,’ lawyer Matthew Blit told the New York Post on Sunday.
‘Ariane LaBoy and the other children in that classroom are extremely lucky to be alive today,’ he said.
This isn’t the first time that Cedano has blamed years of bullying for the fatal attack: on September 29 gave a press conference to explain he’d been pushed to breaking point by his tormentors at school
After Cedano first spoke out about being bullied in September, McCree’s mother Louna Dennis countered that excuse – saying that her son would never bully anyone
‘On behalf of my client and his family, I ask that you allow them grieve and heal in private,’ Blit added.
After Cedano first spoke out about being bullied in September, McCree’s mother Louna Dennis countered that excuse – saying that her son would never bully anyone.
‘My son was not a bully. My son was loved,’ she said during a press conference.
She remembered him as a 15-year-old who loved school and had plans to attend Fordham University for basketball.
The heartbroken mother also said her son would ‘beat a bully down,’ before being one himself, according to Pix 11.
McCree’s stepfather also spoke to defend the 15-year-old, saying he was ‘in no way bad.’
Kyle Victor, 34, said the media is making his son look homophobic.
‘Matthew was not like that at all and they’re making it look like Matthew did not like gay people,’ Victor told the New York Post.