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Family Blames Bullying For Teen's Death

Anger Erupts In Juvenile Courtroom

POSTED: 5:18 pm CST February 6, 2008
UPDATED: 6:17 pm CST February 7, 2008

Anger erupted in a Johnson County courtroom on Tuesday between the families of two 16-year-old boys, one who died and the other who authorities charged in connection with his death.

Dakota DeRemus was found dead near his Gardner, Kan., home on Monday afternoon.

Authorities initially investigated his death as a suspicious one, but after an autopsy revealed he had a heart problem, police ruled his death a homicide and took the other teen into custody.

DeRemus had been involved in a fight with the other teenager on Monday and died after the fight, police said.

Johnson County juvenile authorities then charged the other teen with involuntary manslaughter in connection with DeRemus' death.

Wednesday in the juvenile courtroom, the teenager's parents sat in the front row as he appeared before a judge via video.

His mother cried through the proceedings.

DeRemus' father and several of his relatives showed up and stood in the back of the courtroom.

There were several outbursts, and at one point, DeRemus' father yelled, "Your son has bullied my son for two years."

Officers slammed the angry father against a wall, then the skirmish spilled out into the hallway, where police cuffed him.

The teen's next court appearance is set for Feb. 19.

DeRemus' father could be charged with disorderly conduct, according to authorities.

DeRemus was a sophomore at Gardner-Edgerton High School.

Family Speaks

Following the court appearance on Wednesday, both families declined to comment.

Later, DeRemus' family issued the following statement:

My family and I are in so much pain that just cant be described by the tragic and early loss of our Dakota. Our Dakota was only 16 years old.

He was the most loving and caring son a mother could ever imagine. This holds true as a brother, a grandson, nephew, and as a friend. As a single parent that has struggled, Dakota was my inspiration. He gave me hope and together we had envisioned a future for him.

Our Dakota had so much to live for and he was looking forward to many of the things that 16 year olds do: going to a dance with a girl; riding bikes with his friends; learning to drive; and going to the movies. He had such ambition to make a difference in this world by going to college and then attending law school.

I feel very blessed that as a family, we had the opportunity to spend our holiday break together with Dakota on vacation and our memories will forever be filled with Koty decorating the tree; being on the beach; and sitting down and laughing with his family during our Christmas Dinner.

However, for me, those memories will forever be shadowed by the dark cloud of my son being beaten to death by those that choose to bully an innocent teenager. Murder is the only way we can describe this incident with the facts that we are aware of. The fact that a group of four bullies joined together and apparently decided to videotape his beating and death, demonstrates to me that they knew that they were going to kill him.

Furthermore, their apparent actions of running away after he fell to the ground without calling for any help further shows not only their character, but their intentions all along. By lessoning the charges, this serves as no warning to any future person that decides to bully another.

My family and I are at a loss of words for the repeated warnings to the parents and The Gardner-Edgerton High School. They had been placed on notice many times by Dakota and myself. We would kindly as that the superintendent of the Gardner School District investigate this situation to ensure that no other child or family goes through what we are experiencing.

I continue to see everyone commenting on Dakotas heart condition and I am concerned that individuals are using this for their own personal agendas such as keeping their client out of jail. Instead, what really should be focused on is the manner in which these cowards treated my son, especially if they did indeed videotape his beating and/or his death.

I would also like to thank friends, family, neighbors and the community for the out-pouring of love and support. It has meant so much to us. We are also very grateful for all of the efforts of the Gardner Police Department and Johnson County Sherriffs Office for the handling of Dakotas murder investigation in such a professional and compassionate manner. We hope that immediate charges will be filed against all individuals involved in this case.


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