A 16-year-old honor student was stabbed to death today at a Connecticut high school after she rejected a request to go to the junior prom with the suspect, friends of the victim said.
Maren Sanchez, a well-liked junior at Milford’s Jonathan Law High School who loved the arts and was a manager of the school’s tennis team, was pronounced dead shortly after the stabbing at a local hospital. A friend of Maren identified the suspect to Heavy as Chris Plaskon, who like Maren was a 16-year-old junior.
Here is what you need to know:
1.Sanchez Was Stabbed in the Neck With a Kitchen Knife
(Facebook/ Maren Sanchez)
According to police and witnesses, the stabbing took place in a hallway at the school at 7:14 a.m. Witnesses said Plaskon shoved Sanchez down a flight of stairs before stabbing her in the neck with a kitchen knife he had brought from home.
Witnesses reported seeing Sanchez covered in blood as they arrived for classes. Police said a school staff member walked into the area at around the time the incident took place, and staff members were able to get Plaskon away from the scene as the school nurse and paramedics tried to save Sanchez’s life.
Sanchez was rushed to Bridgeport Hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 7:43 a.m., less than a half hour after the stabbing.
Students at Jonathan Law HS say they saw their classmate, who was allegedly stabbed, covered in blood as they arrived to class. #news12ct
— Courtney Kane (@news12courtney) April 25, 2014
2. Sanchez Turned Down Plaskon’s Prom Request
(Facebook)
One of Sanchez’s close friends told Heavy that Plaskon wanted to go to the prom with Sanchez, but Sanchez turned him down because she was going to go with her boyfriend, who she’s been dating for about a week.
Sanchez is pictured above in a photo she posted to the junior prom’s Facebook page.
Multiple news outlets reported that Plaskon was Sanchez’s boyfriend or ex boyfriend, but Sanchez’s friend told Heavy that those reports were wrong.
3. Sanchez Was a Beloved Honor Student
Maren Sanchez has been identified as the stabbing victim in a tragic incident at Jonathan Law High School in Milford, Connecticut. (Facebook/ Maren Sanchez)
Sanchez was an athlete, performer and member of the National Honor Society who has loved and revered by her classmates and teachers.
Milford schools Superintendent Elizabeth Feser described Maren as “vibrant” and “very, ver involved in Jonathan Law High School.” “An incredible contributor, someone who was loved and respected,” Feser said.
She was also a talented singer who loved to perform.
The first video below features Maren covering Phillip Phillips’ rendition of “Home,” which was posted on Maren’s YouTube channel in 201. The second, dubbed “The Roaring Twenties Project,” was posted last spring and includes Maren leading a “Saturday Night Live” style intro and singing while playing the piano.
Law students and Milford community members took to social media to tweet #PrayorMaren.
just makes me sick to find out something so horrible happened to someone I know so well, such a nice person #PrayForMaren
— Graham O'Brien (@grahamobrien13) April 25, 2014
Students later painted a rock purple and painted the word “Maren” and “8.26.97” on it.
Maren's name on rock outside Jonathan Law HS in #Milford. pic.twitter.com/cSE363FZQ4
— David Owens (@daowens) April 25, 2014
4. Plaskon Is Charged With Murder
Plaskon was apprehended by a school resource officer before Milford police arrived. Police announced Friday afternoon that they had charged Plaskon with murder. He’ll be arraigned in New Haven juvenile court on Monday, but prosecutors may have the option to try him as an adult.
Friends and classmates described Plaskon as a normal kid and a good student. The friend of Sanchez’s who talked to Heavy said she saw Plaskon in handcuffs when she arrived at school and wondered what he did, having no idea he was capable of such a horrific act.
5. The School Was Put on Lockdown Before Students Were Dismissed
Police tape blocking off lot at Jonathan Law High School. pic.twitter.com/IpeLbqwxl9
— Charlotte Adinolfi (@NHR_CharlotteA) April 25, 2014
According to the Connecticut Post, the incident triggered a lock down at the school, before students were sent home on buses for an early dismissal at around 9 a.m.
Students were told to avoid the hallway where the stabbing occurred as they evacuated the building.
