A university student from Connecticut has been charged with criminal mischief and kicked out of school after allegedly bragging about contaminating her roommate’s toothbrush, face lotion, and other belongings.
West Hartford police said Wednesday that University of Hartford student Brianna Brochu, 18, was charged Saturday with misdemeanour criminal mischief and breach of peace. Police also are asking a judge to add a felony bigotry charge.
Brochu, who is white, allegedly smeared body fluids on her African-American roommate’s belongings, and police are saying it was a bias crime. She then allegedly posted a message on her Instagram about the vile acts against her roommate, Chennel ‘Jazzy’ Rowe.
Rowe found out about the acts and decided to post a Facebook video detailing the shocking allegations against her roommate.
Rowe said she moved in with Brochu this summer after the school randomly assigned her a roommate. Within a month, Rowe said she started to get really sick.
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“It started with throat pain,” she said in the Facebook video. “I thought maybe because it’s colder up here, I’m probably catching a cold. After about three weeks in it got to the point where I had extreme throat pain that I couldn’t sleep, to the point where I couldn’t speak.”
She said she decided to move out after a rocky relationship between the pair escalated.
“I moved out because I felt like I was unwanted in my own room,” she said.
As she was in the process of moving out, Rowe said she found out about a post on Brochu’s Instagram — where she allegedly boasted about messing with her belongings to make her ill.
“She posts that on her Instagram and then posts pictures on what she has been doing to me,” Rowe said.
Rowe then gave examples of what Brochu did, such as putting mold in her face lotion and blood from a tampon on her school bag.
Rowe reported the incident, but wrote on Facebook that she decided to post her story online because “when it comes to college incidents/crimes and racial cases justice needs to be served.”
On Wednesday, the university’s president, Greg Woodward, said Brochu is no longer a student at the school.
“There has been an outpouring of concern for the victim of these acts from across the university and the country. In my meeting with her yesterday, I reiterated my personal commitment to ensuring she has all available personal and academic resources the University can provide,” he wrote.
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He added that “racism and hatred will not be tolerated on this campus. Period.”
The story of the bullying has spread online, with the creator of Grey’s Anatomy, Shonda Rhimes, lashing out at Brochu.
“That this type of ignorant hate can flourish in 2017 tests my faith in humanity. Who raised this inhumane ignorant waste of space? Who chose to be her friend and look the other way?”
West Hartford police said Brochu was released on a $1,000 bond and was scheduled to appear in court Wednesday.