Phoebe Prince had no safe place to go at South Hadley High School.
Court paperwork reveals that the 15-year-old freshman suffered harassment in the hallways, the library, the classrooms, the lunchroom and even the bathroom.
According to witnesses, the bullies hissed curse words, yelled obscenities and threatened to beat her up, sometimes within earshot of school faculty.
The taunting stemmed from teenage jealousy. According to the documents, Phoebe briefly dated a popular older football player at the school, Sean Mulveyhill, who is now facing charges in the case, including statutory rape.
Mulveyhill, 17, ended the relationship with Phoebe in November and resumed dating his girlfriend, Kayla Narey, a junior at South Hadley High. Narey, 17, is charged in the case with criminal harassment and violation of civil rights.
16-year-old Ashley Longe, a close platonic friend of Mulveyhill, stands accused of harassment and stalking.
On the day Phoebe died, the couple, along with Longe, had scrawled derogatory comments on the school’s library sign in sheet, disparaging Phoebe’s Irish heritage and reputation.
In the auditorium, they stood in a group, the paperwork reveals. Witnesses say Mulveyhill was overheard calling Phoebe a “whore.” Longe said it to her face. Narey laughed.
As Phoebe walked home from school on this final day of her life, the paperwork says a witness saw Longe, passing by in a vehicle, throw an empty energy drink can in Phoebe’s direction and yell something degrading.
Phoebe was crying as she continued her walk. When she arrived home, she hanged herself in a stairwell, wearing the same clothing she had on at school that day.
Three other teens are also charged. Sharon Chanon Velazquez, 16, and Flannery Mullins, 16, both of South Hadley face charges of stalking and violation of civil rights as a youthful offender. Austin Renaud, 18, is charged with statutory rape.
In December, prosecutors say Phoebe had a brief relationship with Renaud that drew hostility from Mullins, who was his on and off again girlfriend.
Mullins had told other students that she was going to “beat Phoebe up” and that she “needed to watch out at break after second block.”
Velazquez, a friend of Mullins, was witnessed by a teacher harassing Phoebe in a classroom leading to a one day suspension.
Prosecutors say Phoebe suffered the torment and name-calling for months.
Witnesses stated that Phoebe’s reaction to the constant harassment varied from fear and apprehension to crying. She asked her friends to stay close to her in the hallways. One witness reported that Phoebe went to school administrators because she “was scared and wanted to go home.” The same witness said Phoebe returned to class and told her that no action was going to be taken and that “she was still going to get beat up.”
One witness told investigators, in a written statement, that Phoebe was not an aggressive person, and stated:
“She definitely didn’t want to fight with the girls in the school. She just wanted to keep to herself and keep things the way they were. She wanted people to stop picking on her, to stop being bullied. She wanted people to leave her alone. She wanted people to stop spreading rumors and stop the girls from talking about her.”
Phoebe committed suicide on January 14th. Her little sister discovered the body.