Parents of a teen with Asperger’s syndrome say the 16-year-old committed suicide after dealing with a deep depression and bullying in his high school.
Kennedy LeRoy took his life last Friday, leaving behind a note: “One of the biggest reasons why I killed myself is to prevent more suicides,” he wrote, according to U.S. reports.
Kennedy was convinced that his suicide would help bullies understand the plight of their victims, according to his family.
“Maybe my death will make people realize that words can hurt as much as, if not more than, physical blows,” he wrote.
“I want to prevent anyone I can from hurting.”
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His family says they’re still reeling and trying to make sense of the tragedy. Kennedy’s father, Chris LeRoy, said his son faced endless bullying at Ayala High School where he was a sophomore.
When the parents got involved, Kennedy and his bully signed a “No Contact Contract” but the bully was relentless, LeRoy told U.S. outlets. It’s just that Kennedy didn’t tell his family that it continued.
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“We thought we were doing the best we could, the school thought they were doing the best we could, we can’t fault them,” LeRoy said.
“He said he would lie through his teeth so we wouldn’t know. The bullying was constant.”
carmen.chai@globalnews.ca
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