The family of the Missouri girl facing charges for beating 16-year-old Kaylee Gain into unconsciousness claims that she is the real victim, having endured harassment and bullying before the assault that was caught on camera took place. Kaylee, 16, from St. Louis, Missouri, has been left in critical condition after a student repeatedly smashed her head into concrete.
The agitated aunt of the 15-year-old alleged attacker of Kaylee has now told Daily Mail, that her niece, described as an honor student with an exemplary record at the Hazelwood East High School, was acting in self-defense during the widely circulated fight that took place on March 8 in Spanish Lake, Missouri.
Counter Attack
The relatives of the accused attacker are urging the juvenile court system to show "compassion" toward the teenager, and are seeking $150,000 in donations to support her legal defense.
The alleged attacker has not been named because she has been charged as a minor.
The family of the teenage suspect launched a petition on Change.org on Saturday, urging Chief Juvenile Officer Rick Gaines of the 21st Circuit Court not to pursue adult charges against her.
The petition highlighted the girl's numerous academic and athletic achievements, such as her proficiency in four languages, participation in the school orchestra as a violinist, and involvement in the school's volleyball team.
It also highlighted her recent selection for college-level Advanced Placement (AP) classes.
"Prior to an incident on March 8th where she was seen defending herself from harassment and bullying, she had never been in trouble," it read. "Her work as a scholar was tainted by the bullying she had to endure at school."
The family in its complaint said that "this single event is being used" to define the teen's character – and hit out at Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey for saying that the 15-year-old should be charged as an adult if Gain does not survive.
"It is unjust that such an accomplished young woman should be charged as an adult for assault without considering all the facts of the case that led to the incident where harm occurred," the petition continued.
Demanding Justice
The family requested that all aspects of the teenager's life be taken into consideration as her case progresses through the legal system, "most importantly her victimhood as a bullied student who was merely defending herself under intense and flight vs fight circumstances," it stated.
Following the altercation, the family of the juvenile suspect reportedly received "multiple racist death threats" and were subjected to alleged attempts of "doxxing," where people sought to release personal information about the teenager.
"The focus should be to pray for the healing and reconciliation of both parties, as this truly was a teenage fight that should've never happened to begin with, but did and spun completely out of control," the relatives of the accused argued.
As of Thursday afternoon, the online petition has garnered support from over 500 people.
The family had initially set up a GoFundMe to help with the girl's legal expenses. However, the platform swiftly removed the campaign for violating its terms of service, despite raising nearly $3,000.
The donated funds were returned to the contributors. The defunct fundraiser claimed that the teenager was unfairly depicted as a bully rather than being recognized as a victim in a complex situation, the Daily Mail reported.
The disturbing video of the brawl showed Gain being punched repeatedly and having her head slammed against the pavement, resulting in a life-threatening skull fracture, as described by her family. Two weeks after the assault, Gain remains unconscious, after suffering brain swelling and bleeding.
