The students of Jonathan Law High School in Milford, Connecticut mourned their classmate Maren Sanchez Friday afternoon instead of going to the junior prom. The 16-year-old girl was stabbed to death by a boy whose invitation to the prom she had rejected.
The stabbing took place at the start of the school day Friday. Sanchez was rushed to the Bridgeport Hospital, but officials said during a press conference that she succumbed to her injuries.
According to the New York Daily News, the boy has been identified as Chris Plaskon, 16, although the police have not officially released his name. The Hartford Courant reports that the boy has been charged with murder. He could be charged as an adult and is due in court on Monday.
Instead of holding a prom, the community gathered at Walnut Beach, reports The New Haven Register. A prayer service was also held at the First United Church of Christ, which was filled with friends, family, teachers and anyone else who knew Sanchez, who lit candles in her memory.
“She was friends with everyone,” junior Sean Berg told the Register. “It’s a horrible event, but to see all of Milford, it makes us stronger. But it should never have happened.”
After police responded Friday, school was dismissed. However, students went back to the school to write Sanchez’s birthdate - Aug. 26, 1997 - on a rock, spray painting a white heart next to the date.
“Maren, a junior, was everything right with Jonathan Law,” school principal Fran Thompson wrote in an email, notes the Register. “An honor student, active member of our school community and incredible young woman, her time with us was much too short but her spirit will be with us forever. I ask you to please join me in praying for Maren, her friends, her family and all of our school community as we cope with this horrific event.”