Family of Fatally Stabbed Student: 'Our Hearts Are Forever Broken'
Maren Sanchez (WABC)
The family of Maren Sanchez, a 16-year-old stabbed to death at her Connecticut school slightly more than a week ago, today thanked supporters and expressed the pain of the family's loss.
"Our hearts are forever broken by the loss of our Maren," read a statement released through police and picked up by local media. "The outpouring of compassion, support, and love from the community she touched during her life and in her passing has moved us deeply and has offered our family great comfort and solace during this difficult time."
Sanchez was fatally stabbed in the hallways of Jonathan Law High School in Milford, Conn., allegedly by a fellow student, after declining his invitation to the prom later that day.
After other students learned of Sanchez's death, they had an impromptu vigil for the slain 16-year-old on the beach with many of the students wearing their prom clothes. Students released purple balloons in her honor.
Sanchez's family released the statement a day after Sanchez's alleged killer, Christopher Plaskon, made his first appearance in court. Plaskon was being charged as an adult and was under suicide watch.