Abel Cedeno, who stabbed a fellow Bronx high school student to death and seriously wounded another during a fight in September 2017 after what he said was repeated racist and homophobic bullying over his perceived sexuality, has been convicted of manslaughter, assault, and criminal possession of a weapon on Monday.
Said Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark: “In a matter of seconds, the defendant took out his knife and stabbed two students in front of a crowded classroom, killing 15-year-old Matthew McCree and critically wounding Ariane Laboy, then 16. The incident has forever traumatized the young students and school faculty who watched in horror the violence that unfolded that morning. It is truly a tragedy; a young life was taken, and so many other lives — including the defendant’s — are irreparably damaged.”
FLASHBACK: NYC Teen Murder Suspect Said to Have Been Bullied with Anti-Gay Slurs
NBC News reports: ‘Last week, Cedeno took the stand at his trial and said the fight and stabbing were the culmination of years of bullying he endured over his sexuality. He said Laboy, McCree and others were throwing pencils, pen caps and balls of paper at him the day of the stabbings. Cedeno filed a federal lawsuit against the city Education Department last month, alleging the school enabled the bullying and that he endured “discriminatory anti-gay epithets,” as well as physical abuse. He was taken into custody following the verdict. His sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 10.’
