Black Missouri teen pleads guilty to lesser charge of second-degree assault after viral fight with schoolmate Kaylee Gain, released on supervised release

Maurnice DeClue, a 15-year-old from Missouri, was portrayed as a monster in the general public eye when a video of a sidewalk fight between her and a white schoolmate, Kaylee Gain, was released in March.

After the video went viral, conservative politicians used it to draw attention to “white violence” and called on DeClue to accused as an adult for first-degree assault, which carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison. Citing “radical DEI agendas,” Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey used his podium to launch extensive investigation to the Hazelwood School District in suburban St. Louis, where 90 percent of the 18,000 students in grades K-12 are black.

As the story continued to explode in far-right circles, the court returned its decision in June. DeClue was released on parole, supporting the assumption that the fight had been previously agreed upon by each girls, as Gain’s father revealed via the New York Post, and that DeClue had no intention of causing such serious harm.

DeClue’s case remained in juvenile court after a judge agreed with a juvenile officer’s suggestion not to charge her as an adult. She was sentenced to probation and released from juvenile detention, where she remained for 3 months, her attorney, Greg Smith, told local station KSDK last month. He added that the case was “resolved” on June 20.

“I think she understood the situation, understood and took responsibility for her behavior,” Smith said, explaining that the reduced assault charge was due to intent.

“We never believed she was guilty of first-degree assault,” he added. “It was knowingly causing serious physical harm, which suggests that she had the intent to cause serious physical harm from the outset. She acted out of a sudden passion in the situation she found herself in.”

DeClue has been assigned a youth mentor and must perform community service hours and attend counseling sessions. She will report to court every two weeks to monitor her progress, said Smith, who believes a further six months to a 12 months of court monitoring could also be crucial.

“She’s a fantastic student, she said she wants to go back to school,” Smith added.

After the attorney general suggested DeClue be tried as an adult, the teen’s family made a desperate attempt to portray their daughter in a more human light to counter the stereotypes that were gaining popularity online.

IN Change.org petition Calling for “compassion,” her family described DeClue as a multilingual honor roll student with a busy schedule of violin practice and volleyball matches. “Prior to the March 8 incident, when she was seen in an altercation, she had never been in trouble. Her hard work as a scholarship student was tainted by the bullying she endured at school,” it said.

Meanwhile, Gain had been suspended from school the day before the fight, according to DeClue’s attorney, Greg Smith. Smith said her suspension stemmed from a physical altercation with one other person, and Gain was not allowed on school grounds that day.

“And yet, the next day, at dismissal time, she managed to get back to the neighborhood around the high school,” Smith said.

In the video that went viral, the 2 girls are seen facing off on the sidewalk near the highschool. As they step forward to fight, DeClue grabs Gain by the hair and quickly tackles her to the bottom. People on each side join the fight.

Gain suffered a skull fracture and a brain hemorrhage after DeClue repeatedly hit her head on the cement. After a month within the hospital, Gain returned home to proceed her rehabilitation, which incorporates physical and mental therapy and at the least one surgery to repair the skull damage, her attorney Bryan Kaemmerer told KSDK.

High school fighting has intensified for the reason that pandemic. National Center for Educational Statistics revealed that almost half of the general public schools it surveyed saw a rise in fights and threats between students in the course of the 2021-2022 school 12 months, essentially the most recent data available.

The overwhelming majority of schools — nearly 80 percent — said they need more mental health support for each students and staff. Unfortunately, Missouri teachers are among the many lowest paid within the U.S., and the state faces a persistent teacher shortage, NPR reportedInstead of investigations into “radical DEI programs,” because the state attorney general has proposed, Missouri school officials are simply demanding more resources and fair pay.