New charge filed against student in school hallway attack on N.J. girl who died by suicide days later
A new charge was filed this week against one of the four students involved in the New Jersey school hallway attack on 14-year-old Adriana Kuch, who died by suicide days later.
The student, who was previously charged with harassment in connection with the attack, has now been charged with conspiracy to commit aggravated assault, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said in a statement Thursday.
"The juvenile was served a copy of that complaint and was released pending future court appearances," the statement read, adding the additional charge was "based upon our ongoing investigation."
The case sparked student walkouts and garnered national attention after video of the Feb. 1 attack at Central Regional High School in Berkeley Township was posted online.
Adriana was found dead in her Bayville home on Feb. 3. The four students involved in the assault were suspended and charged.
Two of them were also charged with conspiracy to commit aggravated assault, Billhimer previously said. Another was charged with aggravated assault.
Their names have not been released. NBC News does not usually name minors charged with a crime, even those charged as adults.
Adriana's father, Michael Kuch said in Facebook posts and to NBC New York that several students attacked his daughter while she was walking with her boyfriend in the hallway.
He wrote on Facebook that a video of the fight was posted online and that Adriana, a freshman, had been tagged in it. He said he believes it was posted to "make fun of her online."
Kuch has since deleted his Facebook account.
Triantafillos Parlapanides, who was superintendent of the Central Regional School District at the time of the attack, resigned a day after Adriana's funeral services.
The former superintendent had suggested in interviews with news outlets, including the Daily Mail, that Adriana used drugs and that her father had refused the district’s offers to help.
In an interview with the New York Post, Adriana’s father, Michael Kuch, accused Parlapanides of "blaming" his daughter and said drug counseling had not been offered to her. The father added that his daughter had experimented with a marijuana vape pen, but no other drugs.
"My daughter was beautiful, and I am not going to talk about tabloid trash," Kuch said to NBC News about Parlapanides' comments.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call the network, previously known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, at 800-273-8255, text HOME to 741741 or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional resources.
