A depressed 16-year-old boy with Asperger's syndrome committed suicide because he was bullied at his Chino Hills high school, leaving behind an anguished suicide note saying verbal abuse drove him to take his own life, his parents said.
Kennedy LeRoy, whose goal in life was to help others, killed himself in his bedroom last Friday, his parents said Wednesday. According to a two-page letter he left behind, depression was a factor and being bullied by a male student at Ayala High School was another.
"Maybe my death will make people realize that words can hurt as much as, if not more than, physical blows," the note said.
Kennedy's parents do not blame school officials for what happened.
The father says school officials immediately took action when they found out Kennedy was being bullied. They made the bully sign a "no contact contract" to protect Kennedy. But as Kennedy explained in his letter, the bully didn't stop harassing him.
Kennedy never told his parents about this.
Asperger's syndrome is an autism spectrum disorder, one of several complex neurodevelopment disorders characterized by social impairment, communication difficulties, and restrictive, repetitive, and stereotyped patterns of behavior, according to the National Institute of Heath.
I really loathe society's attitude when it comes to bullying; sweeping it under the carpet, victim-blaming or simply viewing it as a fact of life. I hope someone can take the initiative to actively work against bullying and save kids' lives.
So sad. I hate kids that don't get hugged at home and feel the need to drag others down to their level. He was an easy target, so that's why they went for him. As someone who was bullied in school for most of my childhood, I know exactly how he felt and I wish he would've reached out to someone professional before making that final decision. RIP
