Welcome to THEJNSREPORT’S: Justice For Matthew McCree (Revisited) 2018

Some of us may remember hearing about the killing of 15 year old Matthew McCree at the hands of his fellow classmate 18 year old Abel Cedeno in a Bronx public school last year.  The news reported that Cedeno stabbed and killed Matthew allegedly in self defense as well as critically stabbing another classmate Ariane Laboy.  Both the media and Cedeno’s attorney have claimed Cedeno was bullied in school by Matthew McCree for being gay and/or bisexual. So the first excuse thrown out there is bullying.

Next the killer’s sexual orientation is used as a defense to make it appear as though Abel Cedeno was some weak little “gay” boy who was constantly picked on by this particular class mate 3 years his junior which leads to another question I have.  Why in the world is an 18 year old in the same class as 15 year olds? It’s important to note that other students say Cedeno was routinely bullied by other students not necessarily Matthew McCree.

In the latest media update an approximately nine second blurry cell phone video of the altercation in class has been released. The defense claims the video helps Cedeno who is charged with manslaughter. Here are the problems I have with that. Firstly, the video doesn’t show the actions leading up to the altercation between the students so it’s a he said/ he said situation where the deceased isn’t able to give his side of what happened prior to his eventual fatal stabbing.

Secondly, there’s nothing in the cell phone video that shows Cedeno in mortal danger for his life at the time he stabs the other two students.  Kids have fights all the time but that doesn’t justify stabbing a kid to death and almost killing another.  The defense says prosecution withheld the release of this video implying they were hiding evidence.  That little caveat may signal bad news for any hope of an open and shut case for the prosecution but could also just be a cautious release because the video is inconclusive from what was shown.

In my opinion the video does little to substantiate a self defense claim.  The defense has to claim the stabbing was in self defense because there is no other legit defense they can offer.  Notice the fact that the only student with a weapon was Abel Cedeno.  From the start this case has had the look and feel of a kid who simply lost his cool, over reacted, and then killed another kid and now wants to be given a pass by playing the victim card and using sexuality as a mitigating factor for murder.

No one is asking why Abel Cedeno brought a knife to school in the first place which leads me to think this warrants premeditated murder charges more so than manslaughter.  His douchebag defense attorney thinks people are dumb enough to believe the actions of his client are justified.  They are not justified.

Lastly, in a classic, disgusting, desperate and often used defense tactic, Cedeno’s attorney demonized and character assassinated Matthew McCree after the fact with an unproven claim that the victim was a gang member all while claiming he didn’t want to demonize Matthew McCree.  Clearly that insult to injury and death, is a blatant knowingly false characterization labeling Matthew negatively in order to put into potential jurors minds as well as the public’s that the deceased young boys death was warranted and that he was inherently dangerous.

How fucking low can you go?  Notice up to now I made no mention of the ethnicity of the young boys involved in this case because I wanted the focus to be on the circumstances of the killing.  Nonetheless, why ethnicity is an important factor here is because of how society and the judicial system treat people based on their ethnicity.  Labeling the victim, a 15 year old Afro American male a gang member reinforces a long perpetuated stereotype that Afro American people and in particular Afro American boys and men are criminals.

If Abel Cedeno were Afro American and Matthew McCree and Ariane Laboy were Latino or White we all know what the media and attorneys would be saying. They’d be screaming “Lock Abel up and throw away the key.” We need to hear from Ariane Laboy who fortunately survived.  All that said, based on history I’d be shocked if justice is actually served and Cedeno is rightfully convicted.

What are your thoughts on this unfolding case?