A Virginia teenager was shot and killed this week by her ex-boyfriend in a suspected suicide just weeks after obtaining a restraining order against him.
Serenity Hawley, of Blacksburg, was just two days away from turning 18 when her ex-boyfriend, Croney Monk, allegedly shot her in the chest before turning the gun on himself Tuesday, her devastated family told 10 News.
The former couple’s body was later found in Hawley’s car in a local parking garage, according to the Roanoke Times.
Hawley applied for a no-contact order against Monk through Blacksburg High School about a month before the tragedy, complaining about him harassing and blackmailing her, according to her family.
“I believe that this is preventable,” his mother, Heather Waldron, told the outlet.
“People in leadership positions know that he has a history or a past, and I think if that had been taken care of, we wouldn’t be here,” the grieving mother said.
“I just hope that this is a wake-up call for others who may be in this situation. And I hope this will prevent other people, other parents, from having this nightmare.”
Hawley is two days from his 18th birthday. WSLS Hawley and her boyfriend were found dead in a parking garage earlier this week. WSLS
Hawley’s father, John Hawley, said his daughter was terrified of her ex – but kept most of it a secret from her family.
“He’s got that full rainbow of experiences. We don’t know that. He didn’t tell us that,” he lamented.
“But we found out today, yeah, in the hallways he’s going to walk in front of him and make his presence known, and just do different things.
“He is always on social media. He blackmails her, telling her he will show this and show that. That’s not the kind of thing a child should be doing.”
Hawley’s stepmother, Katherine Hawley, also said there were “a lot of things we found out after the fact that we wish we knew.”
“Violence of any kind, especially domestic violence, is serious,” he said.
They plan to use some of the funds from GoFundMe — which as of Friday had raised nearly $21,000, about $6,000 over the $15,000 goal — to establish a scholarship in his memory.
Hawley’s mother, Heather (left), said she tried to get her daughter to take out a restraining order before she was killed.WDBJ
“And also volunteering and talking about domestic violence with teenagers, because that’s where it starts,” her dad told WDBJ.
“If we can do something about his passing to help others escape this kind of torture, then that’s what we want to do. We know that he wants us to do something.”
Montgomery County Public Schools did not immediately return a message Friday about what action, if any, was being taken to help the now-killed girl.
“First and foremost in our thoughts are the families and loved ones of the two children who lost their lives,” the district said in a statement, adding it “cannot imagine” what the Hawley family is “going through.”
“We are deeply saddened by this loss and are doing our best as a community to deal with the devastating impact.”
The Blacksburg Police Department confirmed Tuesday’s shooting was an isolated incident, and there was no unusual threat to the public, WDBJ said.
The family of Monk – a Blacksburg High School junior and former varsity football player – has not commented on the death.
Hawley, a senior, was recently accepted to Virginia Tech, which he is “very excited” to attend, his father said.
“He’s a great kid. I mean, I couldn’t have asked for a better son,” the devastated father told 10 News.
His mother said the slain teenager was also “very lively.”
“He was just larger than life. And to know that he’s gone is unreal,” Waldron added.
“It’s like a nightmare you can’t wake up from”, said the mother.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
