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Life a struggle for six teens accused in Phoebe Prince case

Accused of charges ranging from statutory rape to delinquency the 'South Hadley Six' are feeling the pressure

CATHY HAYES,

IrishCentral.com Staff Writer

Published Thursday, October 14, 2010, 7:48 AM

Updated Thursday, October 14, 2010, 9:35 AM

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Phoebe Prince's accused bullies: Sean Mulveyhill, Kayla Narey, Austin Renaud, Ashley Longe, Flannery Mullins and Sharon Chanon Velazquez

The six South Hadley High School students who are being charged over the suicide of, County Clare student, Phoebe Prince, are dealing with their upcoming trial and trying to get on with life as normal.

After months of relentless bullying, 15-year-old, Phoebe Prince, had one bad final day of bullying and found herself unable to cope. She went home to her South Hadley home and killed herself in January of this year.

In March, Northwestern District Attorney, Elizabeth Scheibel, charged the teenagers as adults. The charges against them range from statutory rape, to violation of civil rights, criminal harassment, disturbance of a school assembly and stalking, assault with a deadly weapon and delinquency.

Sean Mulveyhill (18), Sharon Velazquez (17), Austin Renaud (18), Kayla Narey (18), Flannery Mullins (17) and Ashley Longe (17) are all still living in the area, near South Hadley High School, and according to Velazquez's attorney, Colin Keefe, they are now the victims of bullying, of a sort.

Keefe told People magazine "Public disdain and reprimand have run rampant." He said that his own client Velazquez "has and continues to suffer severely on virtually all levels of her life, emotionally, socially, educationally, physically. She has essentially become a social prisoner in her own home."

Currently Velazquez is working towards her GED however the situation has taken its toll on her education. "They won't let her back in school and they won't give her a tutor" said Keefe. "Her mother has been going to school to get her books. She'll have to repeat the year, or a substantial portion of it."

He also added "Even if she is acquitted, she might never recover from the derogatory effects this case has caused." The other five accused appear to be in the same situation.

Flannery Mullins is currently completing her education although no one will say where. Her attorney has said that she has suffered "substantial death threats". Also it is not only the accused students who are suffering but their families too. Flannery's mother Jennifer Mullins, joined the South Hadley High anti-bullying task force but had to leave due to threats.

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ciarrai | Dec 01, 2010, 04:45 PM EST

Instant kharma's gonna get you.

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fhwrath | Dec 01, 2010, 11:14 AM EST

Ahhhh, Ashley Longe was “run out of a party by a local group of girls”. Ahhhhh poor baby. This mean teen sow couldn’t stay at her little party. Aren’t we all sooo sad about this. Was she chased around the school by multiple, much larger and uglier, girls, threatening physical harm until she trembled with fear and tears? Like she and her pigdog gang did to little, pretty, defenseless Phoebe? She couldn’t stay at her party. Maybe a coven would be more appropriate for the abusive, bullying shrew. And she was arrested for drunk driving too. How charming. I’ve scraped better off my shoe. As the lawyers for these Hadley cretins go about their whoring for evil for money, let us, and by us I mean the good, brave, moral, responsible Americans, hope that Phoebe, who never hurt anyone and cannot go to any parties ever again, is remembered and vindicated. I will promise that these dirtbag losers on trial, still unable to profess sincere remorse for their disgusting existence, will be remembered, and never vindicated. Only eternally reviled.

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mansker | Oct 23, 2010, 12:44 PM EDT

The reporter's need to show how bad it has gotten for the accused attackers has badly backfired. Although innocent until proven guilty by law, the "South Hadley 6" have been proven guilty by their own actions, and are now reaping what they, themselves, sowed. Bullying has to end, and if this makes all bullies think twice about what they are doing, it's a good thing. Ms. Prince was a victim, and I feel that some people (especially those who live in South Hadley or who agree with the Slate interview that depicted Ms. Prince as her own worst enemy) have yet to learn the lesson that you reap what you sow, and if you attack someone, you will be attacked. I can't feel sorry for these people, I have tried and I just can't. They deserve all they are getting.

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Searlit | Oct 21, 2010, 11:00 AM EDT

Revenge is not justice, revenge is only perpetuating hostility. People can learn from the handling of this tragic crime, if their is a resulting trial with a reasonable punishment of the offenders. That would bring a bit of closure, and allow the Prince family to heal.

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Amamricam | Oct 20, 2010, 03:06 PM EDT

I sincerely wish, with every ounce of my being, that any and all of these accused who did substantially bully Phoebe, or anyone else, are driven to commit suicide. :)

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maryemoore | Oct 19, 2010, 05:01 PM EDT

"Life a struggle for six teens accused in Phoebe Prince case" At least they have lives. Phoebe is dead. And although no one should send them death threats and they are preseumbably innocent until proven guilty, they and other teens need to realise that actions have consequences.

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Aine2093 | Oct 18, 2010, 10:14 PM EDT

Without sounding tongue in cheek. Their defence is "Phoebe was depressed that's what made her commit suicide - not the bullying". So as long as the South Hadley Six don't get depressed, they too should be able to take and survive the bullying ! THey don't need to be made an example of, they just need to be held accountable and fairly punished for their actions. And if they also have to live with it on their conscience for the rest of their lives then justice will be served. There needs to be a clear message sent to all bullies that at any age it is not tolerated.

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mkjudge | Oct 17, 2010, 09:50 AM EDT

No one has said threatening the accused or their families is acceptable. There is not one shred of evidence to prove that they have been, that is why you get 'flippant' responses. I truly believe the defense attorneys in this case are releasing this type of information in a ploy to gain sympathy from the public. The 'pity me, til I'm free' tactic will not work until the case is actually tried. Everyone was willing to wait until the trial dates after the initial reporting; until bazelon came out with her three part butchery propaganda, crucifying Phoebe Prince and her family. Her reporting by obtaining sealed court documents and unnamed sources to blame the victim were unethical. Now, all the other press agencies have drank from the bazelon's perverse kool-aide truck. Ethics in journalism are non existent.

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Kilbarry1 | Oct 16, 2010, 09:29 PM EDT

It's only strange if (A) you believe that Flannery Mullins is guilty before the trial has even begun AND (B) you believe that her mother is guilty though she is not charged with any crime AND (C) you consider that the people threatening Mrs Mullins are motivated by a desire to stop bullying.

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Searlit | Oct 16, 2010, 05:12 PM EDT

I don't think threats are acceptable. However, the timing of Mrs. Mullins joining the anti-bullying task force is kind of strange, to say the least.

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Kilbarry1 | Oct 16, 2010, 03:23 PM EDT

So Flannery Mullins attorney says that she has suffered "substantial death threats". Also Flannery's mother Jennifer Mullins, joined the South Hadley High anti-bullying task force but had to leave due to threats. Are these threats acceptable to those who have commented on this story? Do you believe that people are innocent until proven guilty? Do you think that the authorities are wasting money holding a trial since the lynch mob has already decided on the verdict?

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RthrBHistCorr | Oct 16, 2010, 01:13 PM EDT

Isn't that too bad. "Life's a struggle?" Pass me my violin. They made a girl's life hell and drove her to her death and now, in our screwed up society, we are supposed to feel sorry for the perpatrators? Do you think maybe that for the Prince family, deprived of thier daughter by these animals, life may be a struggle?

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mkjudge | Oct 16, 2010, 09:13 AM EDT

I agree with Shawn, it seems like every news source is regurgitating the sophisms that bazelon tried to perpetuate instead of a well-rounded factual reporting of this case. Since when do news sources try to illicit pity from the public for people accused of rape, stalking, harrassment and assault? The only part of this story that was not repeated was Longe getting ousted from a party. Who cares? It seems that there is no consideration for the Prince family nor Phoebe...PS Jeremy Prince never said from any news source that he thought the charges were too severe, he said if got a sincere apology from the accused he would ask for leniency.

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Searlit | Oct 15, 2010, 10:02 PM EDT

The other thing that I can't forget about with this case is how there was a dance two days after Phoebe Prince died and these bullies performed a mock hanging. I remember reading about that. It's haunting.

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maloney | Oct 15, 2010, 08:20 PM EDT

may the 6 suffer in this life & the next

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