Two girls accused of cyberbullying 12-year-old Rebecca Sedwick, who committed suicide, will not face charges.
The lawyers of a 14-year-old girl and a 12-year-old girl accused of bullying Sedwick before her suicide, announced Wednesday that their clients will no longer face aggravated stalking charges.
Defense attorney Jose Baez has announced the State of Florida dropped charges against his client during a news conference.
“We are very pleased that the State Attorney’s Office through hard work and through extreme professionalism has decided to do the right thing," said Baez, adding that he never believed there was any evidence of criminal behavior.
Criminal charges will not be filed against the older teen, who is 14 and will not be named in according with crime guidelines.
The attorney of the 14-year-old released the following statement:
"My client and her family continue to send their condolences to Rebecca's family. Rebecca's untimely death has illuminated the dark side of adolescent life and the powerful role social media has in today's society. This tragedy has also sparked a national discussion on how to properly address these evils that our youth are experiencing. My client and her family are relieved by the State Attorney's decision today. She is hopeful about her future and is attempting to turn this tragic event into something positive."
According to her attorney, the girl is enrolled in a 90 day program where she is not allowed to have any contact with the other teen, or the Sedwick family. She will also not be allowed to use the Internet for social media but only for educational purposes.
Rebecca jumped to her death from a tower at an abandoned cement factory near her home on Sept. 10. Baez's client told deputies she used to be Rebecca's friend, but the older girl turned her against Rebecca.
At a press conference in response to the charges against the 12-year-old being dropped, Polk Sheriff Grady Judd said he was pleased with the outcome because the girls are going to get the services they need.
"Our goal is to make sure these kids never bully anyone again, never torment anyone," Judd said. “As a result, we feel like they can move forward with a productive life. It worked itself out in the juvenile system.”
The girls were charged with felony aggravated stalking. Judd had said the girls "repeatedly and maliciously harassed Rebecca while all three attended Crystal Lake Middle School in Lakeland, forcing Rebecca to switch schools."
The harassment allegedly continued through hate messages to Rebecca on her smartphone through texts and social media. The girls allegedly encouraged others to fight Sedwick, and sent her messages encouraging her to kill herself.
After Baez signed on to represent the 12-year-old girl, he said Judd went "beyond the scope of his job as a law enforcement officer" and that his job is to "investigate and make arrests."
Baez was still critical of the Sheriff during his Wednesday press conference.
“There’s a right way and a wrong way of dealing with certain problems and I think by arresting a child and accusing her and going on national television and saying that she’s responsible for the death of her ex-best friend is unconscionable,” Baez said.
In response, Judd said he had no regrets.
“Bullying is a national epidemic. This went even beyond bullying to cyber stalking. Let’s not lose focus we have a 12-year-old child that’s dead.”