The parents of 15-year-old Missouri girl Maurnice DeClue, who has been charged with beating her high school classmate Kaylee Gain, 16, leaving her with severe skull and brain injuries, say their daughter has a message for Gain.
DeClue’s parents, Ronald, 67, and Consuella, 66, told KSDK-TV on Friday that DeClue was “dismayed to hear” that Gain was in a coma for weeks and that “she wants to apologize.”
Her parents also issued a public statement to “address the misconceptions surrounding Maurnice’s character,” saying she is an honor roll student, is proficient in four languages, and plays volleyball and violin.
“I just feel for my daughter,” DeClue’s mother told KSDK. “She’s not a troublemaker, she’s not a bully. … Maurnice was not the aggressor.”
In a viral video of the March 8 fight, a girl identified as DeClue was seen punching Gain and repeatedly slamming her head into the pavement near their high school in St. Louis County.
Gain was left in critical condition with a fractured skull and bleeding in her brain. DeClue was charged with assault and is being held in a juvenile detention facility.
Consuella DeClue said her daughter “blacked out during the fight” and was a target of bullying herself. She said police have uncovered copies of social media messages that included threats against DeClue.
“I didn’t know she was being bullied,” Consuella DeClue told KSDK. “I would have pulled her out of school.”
According to the Daily Mail, DeClue’s aunt claimed her niece was the victim in a “complicated situation.”
The aunt, who was not named by the Mail, said the family started a GoFundMe to raise money for DeClue’s legal fees. The fundraiser reportedly garnered nearly $3,000 before it was removed by GoFundMe.
Meanwhile, Gain’s family announced that after waking from her coma, the teen “has been able to engage in limited verbal conversations” and “has gone on a few short walks with the assistance of hospital staff.”
A GoFundMe launched to support the Gain family had raised over $400,000 as of Wednesday.
The family, as well as Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, have called for DeClue to be tried as an adult. A hearing is set to take place in May to determine whether that will be the case.
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