And he is headed to a juvenile detention center because of his involvement with the death of fellow classmate, Dakota DeRemus (pictured). A classmate that is alleged Howard had been bullying for some time.
GARDNER, Kan. – Dakota DeRemus, 16, was found lying dead near a play area behind some apartments. An autopsy showed that DeRemus had a heart condition and that he had been involved in a fight. Gardner was later arrested and charged with involuntary manslaughter. Johnson County district attorney’s office is seeking to have Howard tried as an adult. Howard was ordered held in juvenile detention after a court hearing Wednesday. At the end of the hearing, DeRemus’ father yelled at Howard’s parents while being detained by police.
“Two years! Two years your son has been bullying my son.”
School officials admitted that they were aware of the DeRemus’ family’s complaints about bullying but also stated that the DeRemus family had asked that no other information be released and so they could not comment any further. However, DeRemus’ mother released a statement in which she states her son was beaten to death by people who bully others, and also talks about the school the students attended, and the numerous complaints and warnings they had filed in regards to Howard’s bullying of their son.
Howard’s next court appearance was scheduled for Feb. 19.
Now this family has to suffer through the loss of a child, they will also have to live with the frustration of knowing they tried everything legal to stop the actions that ultimately contributed to his death.
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.
Tags: Bullying, Dakota DeReums, Dustin Howard, Manslaughter
Drink the Kool-Aid