Family of Missouri teen charged in brutal beating of classmate claims she’s the real victim

The family of a teenage girl charged with violently assaulting a fellow student is asserting her innocence, claiming she acted in self-defense.

The fight, captured on video and shared across social media, shows the attacker, who has been identified as 15-year-old Maurnice DeClue, slam 16-year-old Kaylee Gain’s head against concrete multiple times outside of a Missouri high school on March 8.

Gain’s unconscious body was seen convulsing in the video, and she remained hospitalized in critical condition until this weekend, when here condition was upgraded to “stable,” according to her family.

After the fight gained national attention, DeClue’s mother, Gwendolyn, took to social media to defend her daughter’s actions.

“She is multilingual, speaking four languages including Korean, plays the violin in the school orchestra, is an athlete on the school’s volleyball team and was recently placed in college-level AP classes due to her academic excellence,” DeClue wrote on Facebook last week. “Prior to an incident on March 8, where she was seen defending herself from harassment and bullying, she had never been in trouble and had a clean school record.”

The DeClue family was seeking to raise $150,000 for legal and attorney fees through a GoFundMe created on March 16. It was taken down within hours since it violates the fundraising company’s terms. 

“I can confirm the fundraiser was removed and all the donors have been refunded,” a spokesperson for GoFundMe said, according to Daily Mail. “GoFundMe’s Terms of Service explicitly prohibit fundraising for the legal defense of an alleged violent crime.”   

The fundraiser had raised nearly $3,000 before it was taken down. 

“Maurnice DeClue deserves amnesty and a chance at forgiveness and fairness,” DeClue stated. “Unfortunately, because of politics at Jefferson City, MO her trial hearing is compromised. 

“The funds raised will help the family secure proper legal representation as attempts are made to ensure she is charged as an adult by Missouri Attorney General.”  

After the video of the attack went viral, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey called for DeClue to be charged as an adult. 

“When you have teens who should know better, who do know better and they’re committing adult crimes, there needs to be adult punishments,” Bailey said, according to KSDK. 

In response, a petition was started urging authorities to show “compassion” and consider her academic achievements and “victimhood as a bullied student” in the legal proceedings to come. 

But others sided with the AG, arguing the video makes it clear a crime was committed. 

“Kaylee Gain was not shown compassion,” one person wrote.  

“Why does her academic accomplishments have to do with a serious disproportionate act of violence and a near murderous lack of self-restraint?” another person wrote.  

“Kaylee Gain is the victim,” a third person wrote. “The video is clear. We need to start charging these students as adults…this violence never stopped.”  

Other people on social media questioned DeClue’s character after she appeared to post a boastful tweet just hours after the fight.  

“Should I join MMA or WWE?” a screenshot of a now-deleted post read. 

Gain’s family says the teen finally regained consciousness over the weekend after suffering from major brain bleeding and swelling. The extent of possible brain damage remains unclear.

A fundraiser set up for the victim has raised more than $380,000 for the teen’s medical bills. 

“Every Donation, big or small, will go directly towards easing these stressful days, allowing Kaylee’s family to be able to be there 100% for her day and night and help with the medical bills that they foresee,” the fundraiser states.  

On Friday, Bailey announced he would be launching an investigation into the school district.  

“Hazelwood owes the parents of the district and the entire community an explanation as to what role these radical programs and safety failures played here,” Bailey’s staff told Fox News.