The parents of a teen who has been left fighting for his life after a classmate stabbed him and murdered his friend, have hired a high-powered New York attorney.
Abel Cedeno, 18, snapped’ and went on a stabbing frenzy, injuring Ariane LaBoy, 16, and killing Matthew McCree, 15, at the Urban Assembly School for Wildlife Conservation inNew York City on Wednesday.
LaBoy was rushed to hospital and finally woke up from a coma Friday, while Cedeno was treated and arrested. McCree was confirmed dead the same day he was attacked.
Now LaBoy’s parents have hired a high flying lawyer to fight their case.
The parents of Ariane LaBoy, 16, (right) who has been left fighting for his life after a classmate stabbed him and murdered his friend, have hired a high-powered New York attorney Matthew Blit (left)
‘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.
‘On behalf of my client and his family, I ask that you allow them grieve and heal in private,’ Blit added.
Cedano gave a press conference at Rikers Island on Friday afternoon, where he has been held since 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 bisexual, and that on Wednesday he just ‘snapped,’ and ‘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.’
Matthew McCree (left) was allegedly stabbed in the chest by 18-year-old classmate Abel Cedeno (right) at the Urban Assembly School for Wildlife Conservation in New York City on Wednesday
Pictured: What is believed to be the switchblade allegedly used by the suspect to stab McCree
The victim’s mother Louna Dennis said on Friday ‘My son was not a bully. My son was loved.’
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.
Cedeno, who has been charged with murder and attempted murder, was allegedly being tormented by McCree and LaBoy because of his flamboyant personality.
Cedeno told reporters and police that the pair relentlessly tormented him with homophobic slurs in class and was targeted him for his ‘flamboyant’ personality.
However, on Friday he retracted that statement to say he hadn’t ever met McCree or Laboy before Wednesday’s incident.
The 18-year-old said he started carrying a knife at the beginning of the school year to ‘protect myself’.
The incident took place about 30 minutes into a history class in front of at least 15 other students.
The two students were allegedly stabbed by an 18-year-old classmate on Wednesday morning at the Urban Assembly School for Wildlife Conservation in the Bronx
The incident took place about 30 minutes into a history class in front of at least 15 other students
NYPD Chief of Detectives Bob Boyce said the suspect had been fighting with the two victims since school started back two weeks ago.
‘There were arguments going on for two weeks into the school year. It escalated today after some back and forth within the classroom,’ Boyce said.
The suspect allegedly walked out of the room after the stabbing and surrendered the knife to a counselor.
Police said he then walked into the assistant principal’s office, sat down and waited while 911 was called.
There are two schools within the one building – the Urban Assembly School for Wildlife Conservation, which is a high school and middle school combined. It also has Public School 67, which is an elementary school.