GUILTY KS - Dakota DeRemus, 16, dies after altercation, Gardner, 4 Feb 2008

[MrsMush99]

Teen Charged With Manslaughter After Schoolyard Beating Leaves Classmate Dead

OLATHE, Kan. — A Kansas teen was charged with involuntary manslaughter Wednesday in the death of a 16-year-old schoolmate who collapsed after a fight that was captured on a bystander's cell phone.

Dustin Howard, 16, of Gardner, Kan., is accused of unintentionally killing Dakota DeRemus while committing battery.

Four classmates witnessed the fight and one recorded it on his cell phone, investigators told KCTV5.com.

"If this rumor is true that they decided to videotape my grandson's death, then that is a sick thing to happen," Rosella Davis, DeRemus'

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,329827,00.html

 

[MeoW333]

Oh wow, that's so sad, the poor kid had a heart condition. It seems the boy who beat him had been bullying him for 2 years. That's pathetic and obsessive on the bully killer's behalf. My prayer's for Dakota's family.

 

[MrsMush99]

I really can't stand the kids today. Really I can't. And the parents, grrrrrr. I have been running across more and more parents who have the attitude "not my child." Really makes me sick. I'm NOT blaming this bully's parents (yet) BUT one has to wonder how he was allowed to bully this poor boy for 2 YEARS!!!!

 

[GlitchWizard]

I really can't stand the kids today. Really I can't. And the parents, grrrrrr. I have been running across more and more parents who have the attitude "not my child." Really makes me sick. I'm NOT blaming this bully's parents (yet) BUT one has to wonder how he was allowed to bully this poor boy for 2 YEARS!!!!

Probably the parents didn't know. The parents of the victim knew, though - at least after the death. Too bad when people know of bullying, they don't say something. I'd like to sit in judgement, but last night a teacher told me that my daughter was hit in the head with some food by some kids she said were throwing things at her and her friends all year. I had heard something about it, but she made it sound like it was handled earlier, when it wasn't. I should have gone to find more out, but didn't. Certainly, I love my kid more than my next breath, so I can see how they might have "known" but not really "known" enough to do something about it, either.

 

[Pharlap]

Teen Charged With Manslaughter After Schoolyard Beating Leaves Classmate Dead

OLATHE, Kan. — A Kansas teen was charged with involuntary manslaughter Wednesday in the death of a 16-year-old schoolmate who collapsed after a fight that was captured on a bystander's cell phone.

Dustin Howard, 16, of Gardner, Kan., is accused of unintentionally killing Dakota DeRemus while committing battery.

Four classmates witnessed the fight and one recorded it on his cell phone, investigators told KCTV5.com.

"If this rumor is true that they decided to videotape my grandson's death, then that is a sick thing to happen," Rosella Davis, DeRemus'

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,329827,00.html

So why didn't the four classmates call 911?
Or help save the kid, just tape and watch it as it is happening..:furious:
They should all be charged.......

 

[Jeana (DP)]

If getting it on his video phone is going to help send the perp to prison, I think its a good thing.

 

[MeoW333]

If getting it on his video phone is going to help send the perp to prison, I think its a good thing.

I have to agree with you on that one. It may cause an uproar, yet it's certainly surefire evidence.

 

[Ntegrity]

Why the charge of involuntarily manslaughter? That sounds awfully mild for someone who's been bullying his victim for two years.

 

[KatK]

Because the kid apparently only meant to beat the guy up, not kill him. He might yet get more serious charges filed against him, but it isn't uncommon to charge someone with involuntary manslaughter if the death occurs due to a fistfight.

 

[KansasCutie]

this is so sad!

ok whats even sadder is that i read through a bunch of facebooks that there are alot of people happy thats he is dead

k even more sad - he apparently didnt live a happy life. Alot of people are admitting to making fun of him all the time and picking on him and he would always get so angry and was always made fun of on the bus.

 

[KatK]

Poor kid! People can be such brutes when growing up, and sadly some never do get past that stage.

 

[KansasCutie]

This is making me SO sad reading these comments. People are saying its his own fault for wanting to fight Dustin...Dustins an AMAZING KID....He doesnt deserve to be punished...it was an accident....blah blah blah. Even his girlfriend is defending him

 

[MeoW333]

this is so sad!

ok whats even sadder is that i read through a bunch of facebooks that there are alot of people happy thats he is dead

k even more sad - he apparently didnt live a happy life. Alot of people are admitting to making fun of him all the time and picking on him and he would always get so angry and was always made fun of on the bus.

Omg, Kansas, can you link us? I'm not familiar with the Facebook, and i'm not so sure i want to read what they are saying; how could they be happy? Do these children just not care about anything?? Here we have a boy who died since he wanted to fight a bully the old fashioned fistfight way after being tormented instead of going in and gunning down the school. How could anyone be happy he's dead, that's so horrible, these children nowadays, i don't know if they have a conscience half the time..

 

[SeriouslySearching]

When he gets angry with her and beats the hell out of her...she will probably take up for him then, too. He is an abusive and ignorant B#$t@rd. (Don't schools teach English anymore? Why do teenagers not know how to spell?!)

My heart just sinks when I think of how that boy must have felt every day going to school to face those idiots. Maybe he had enough and did want to fight the jerk.

There is no excuse for someone using a cell phone to tape it and not calling for help. Darn right the person should be charged with whatever they can think of to throw at him. I wonder how long it took him to put in on the internet for other kids to see?!

 

[KansasCutie]

http://ku.facebook.com/group.php?gid=7999843725

Its alot of reading!

 

[MeoW333]

http://www.hdnews.net/wirestories/k1038-BC-KS-TeenDies-Homicide-02-08-0608

This article has some more background:
"It started with name-calling," said DeRemus' mother, Angela Meireis, of the bullying that her son endured. "Then they'd smack him in the head in the hallways and knock his books out of his hand."
She said the problems started when her son was a fifth-grader and had stopped taking gym class because of his heart condition.
"He would turn the other cheek and turn the other cheek," Meireis said. "Just recently he was like, 'I'm not taking this anymore.' "




What kind of sick twisted individual would constantly pick on someone with a heart condition???!! Okay now i am pissed, this killer needs to be charged with murder, i'm sorry, it was obviously known that Dakota had a heart condition since 5th grade, how can people be so cruel??
Throw the that had to torment him in prison so then he can be a punk, turn the tables around this time. I'm sorry, no one in their right mind fights and kills someone with a heart condition. This guy needs to be charged with murder. Would the killer have done this to an elderly man with a heart condition? Where are these kids getting their morals from nowadays, this is horrible!!

My heart really goes out to Dakota's family, as he sounds like he was a sweet kid who had to endure all this torment from classmates, and despite all of it, he didn't end up like these other kids we read about shooting up their schools.

 

[KansasCutie]

I also read that he was begging him to please stop and mentioned his heart condition...& Dustin just kept going...

This picture was taken on the day he died.
Right after he got off that bus.....

 

[MeoW333]

I also read that he was begging him to please stop and mentioned his heart condition...& Dustin just kept going...

Kansas can you link us? This is terrible.. that poor kid and his family, i really feel for them.
They need to throw the book at that Dustin!!

 

[KansasCutie]

I gave a link up there, but not sure if its going to work if you dont have a facebook account.

 

[MeoW333]

I don't have an account with them, i sent ya a PM =) I think i may need to start one now to keep track of things. If it's not myspace, it's facebook, then what next *sigh*