An openly gay Bronx teen retaliated against 2 school bullies by stabbing one of them to death. The incident happened on Wednesday morning in a classroom at the Urban Assembly School for Wildlife Conservation, a high school in Bronx, NY.
Abel Cedena, 18, was leaving a history class when 15-year-old Matthew McCree (pictured top right) threw a pencil at him. After returning from the bathroom Cedena pulled out a knife and stabbed McCree to death.
“Everybody just stood back. A few of them were holding Matthew. A few of them were holding towels on the wound,” classmate Jomarlyn Colon, 16, told the NY Daily News. “All the kids were crying and screaming.”
Another teen, 16-year-old Ariane LaBoy, pictured bottom right, was stabbed when he came to McCree’s aid. Both teens were transported to a hospital. McCree was pronounced dead on arrival. LaBoy is listed in critical but stable condition at a hospital.
After the stabbings, Cedena handed the switchblade over to school staff and waited for the police to arrive.
He was arrested and charged with murder, attempted murder, manslaughter, attempted manslaughter, assault and criminal possession of a weapon.
Friends say McCree and LaBoy taunted Cedena, hurling homosexual slurs at him.
“The kids were calling him a f—–, calling him a s—,”said Savannah Hornback, 34, who works at the Bronx Community Pride Center.
Another friend said the boys tormented Cedena for his flamboyant personality.
“Those two kids in the class, they hit him,” said Iris Couvertier. “He said that they hit him in the face. He said it’s because he’s gay or bisexual.”
Yanique Heatley, 18, said Cedena was “different from the other guys.”
“He likes Nicki Minaj, stuff from H&M. He likes Kylie Jenner,” she said.
Ironically, McCree’s mother was working at the hospital when her son’s lifeless body was brought in by medics.
Her husband, Kyle Victor, said she’s in “bad shape”.
“She’s still in shock. She’s still not crying. She’s numb,” Victor, 34, told the NY Daily News.
Victor lashed out at the NY media for describing McCree as a gay bully.
“They need to ask the right questions first before they paint someone and make them look like they’re some mean person,” he said. “Matthew was not like that at all and they’re making it look like Mathew did not like gay people. That’s wrong, too.”
