Eighteen-year old Denis Ruano came home around midnight after visiting his girlfriend, looking completely normal, his father Melvin Enrique Ruano said. Thomas Liming of Islip, left, was charged in November 2013 with killing Kyle Underhill, also of Islip, right, on Nov. 16, 2011. ", Of reliving the agony of her daughter's murder in court, Morning said, "It's really rough.". I want her to suffer the way Curtisha suffered, for every stab wound Curtisha got, she has got to suffer. Knowing what the climate [in schools] is nationally, its ridiculous that they havent held a drill all year., In an April 3 statement, Riverhead officials said the district is in compliance with the required drills up to this point in the school year. As soon as Curtisha M. Morning, a 17-year-old senior, disappeared from Riverhead High School nearly a month ago, her family, friends and schoolmates had been making emotional appeals for help. This is the second conviction for Ms. Taylor in the murder case. Site made in collaboration with CMYK Taylor stabbed Morning, 17, more than 90 times, according to prosecutors, who said the attack was provoked by Taylors belief that her boyfriend, the father of her child, showed a romantic interest in Morning. A 15-year-old Riverhead High School student was fatally shot yesterday afternoon in Calverton. We went to see when they began to disconnect him and at that moment we realized that our son had died.. Send her an email: juliana@tuprensalocal.com. At least one student was taken into custody by police, Superintendent Augustine Tornatore wrote in a letter to families in the district. Building 3, Suite 2 The student who brought the bullets to school told authorities that he found them on a shelf at his brothers business, police said in a press release. Some were friends of both Miss Morning and Miss Taylor, who has worked at several fast food restaurants since she graduated from Riverhead High in 1995, one year ahead of Miss Morning's class. Beyrer said. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Back in 1996, Curtisha Morning, a college-bound nursing student, high school senior and homecoming queen, mysteriously vanished. Please enter valid email address to continue. She is a founder, owner and co-publisher of this website. 2022 Times Review Media Group. Later that same year, she slashed another woman in the face. A Central Islip woman has been charged with murder for the homicide of an Aquebogue man last March. Kalila Taylor, who was convicted in July for the second time of murdering a Riverhead high school homecoming queen, will be sentenced in Suffolk County criminal court on Thursday. Students have the opportunity to take Advanced Placement coursework and exams. Mattituck, NY 11952. The Riverhead community is mourning the sudden death Saturday of a 2022 Riverhead High School graduate who had an apparent cardiac arrest following a seizure, according to his family. You rely on us to stay informed, and we depend on you to make our work possible. Around 1:30 in the morning, Deniss grandmother was the first to realize that something was not right with the young man after she heard him struggling and strongly complaining, Ruano said. It is our hope this second conviction will provide the Morning family with some measure of peace and closure, Spota said. Det. The incident began early Friday afternoon, when an unidentified student found a bullet in a school hallway and brought it to the attention of school administrators. Please offer your thoughts in the comments section below First published on August 23, 2012 / 5:16 PM. "I am in emotional turmoil right now," she said Monday evening. Poor, young girl brutally murdered and the saddest part is her family -- they have to relive this again," Suffolk County Assistant District Attorney Janet Albertson said. One of the last people to see a Riverhead High School homecoming queen alive 16 years ago testified Thursday about seeing her in an "animated discussion" with a shorter girl before turning and . He told his mother that he had arrived and, then she told him, go to sleep because tomorrow you have to work, Ruano explained. She was also the subject of an order of protection to stay away from a woman in Southampton, but she violated the order and threatened to kill her, Mr. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. The victim, Curtisha Morning, was stabbed more than 90 times in February 1996 near Riverhead High School, on. Weve been in school since September. Curtisha Morning's family flew on for the trial from North Carolina. On Monday, the classmate convicted of the. Hours after a Suffolk Countyof killing Curtisha Morning 16 years ago, the weeks preceding the verdict were filled with the pain of having to relive her daughter's horrific last moments. They moved away unable to cope after their daughter's murder. The victim was a 17-year-old homecoming queen. A Riverhead High School student was also recently arrested after he brought more than a dozen bullets, but no firearm to the school on March 31. Ms. Parsons said her daughter told her that the high school has not conducted a lockdown drill during this school year, an assertion that she said she finds disturbing. This is a very active investigation, he said. The superintendent said counselors will be available Thursday for all students, faculty and staff districtwide and additional support measures will be assessed as needed. Neighbors in the area, many overcome with emotion, told the News-Review that a fight broke out. I called the emergency room, they came, and quickly started to provide first aid and resuscitation, but everything went so fast, I think he almost died here at home, the distraught father said. Ms. Parsons said she received the first text from her daughter at 1:25 p.m., and received a recorded message from the school alerting parents to the incident at 2:44 p.m. She said she immediately drove to the school after receiving her daughters text, where she met other parents gathered outside the front door who were equally upset and insisting they be let in to retrieve their children. Is the Riverhead IDA serving the publics interest? The alumni of Riverhead in Riverhead, New York are encouraged to use this site to relive their time in high school by sharing with former students and teachers of Riverhead High School. Please enter valid email address to continue. Riverheads High School is ranked 97th within Virginia. You rely on us to stay informed, and we depend on you to make our work possible. Justice for the murder was not swift. Suffolk County Police said Preston Gamble was involved in an altercation between two groups of teenagers and young adults on Hill Circle in Calverton when a male shot him at 3:55 p.m. Parents and guardians were asked to pick up children who lived in the area from the high school Wednesday afternoon. ", And, added Morning, "I thank God -- that He let there be justice.". "I feel bad for Ms. After the verdict, Morning was filled with gratitude. "It is with the deepest sorrow that we inform you this evening that a Riverhead High School student was a victim of an act of violence that occurred in our community. Mr. Catterson said jealousy then drove Miss Taylor to stalk Miss Morning as she walked across the playing field to an early-morning nursing class, approach her from behind and repeatedly stab her in the back. On Monday, the classmate convicted of the shocking stabbing went on trial for a second time. Today, law enforcement officials assured the family that they knew who the killer was two weeks after the body was found on Feb. 29, 1996, and that detectives had been working on the case ever since, developing a motive for the slaying and strong forensic evidence. I feel in my heart she's innocent. June 11, 2012 / 6:31 PM On Thursday, Feb. 17, Riverhead Police officers responded to Riverhead Middle School at 600 Harrison Ave., to assist with a school investigation into students ingesting a commercially made THC candy the day before while at school. Though it came 16 years later, Morning's family said it's better than never. State Supreme Court Justice William Condon will sentence the defendant. Police are investigating three cases of students needing medical assistance due to drug use in at least two of the cases at a Long Island school.The incidents began on Friday, Feb. 4, at Riverhead High School when officers responded to the Just a few dollars can help us continue to bring this important service to our community. Mattituck, NY 11952. The trial is expected to take up to three weeks. Despite 15 years having passed since the grisly killing, the courtroom was still on edge. 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. "I can't it's just too much, too much right now," said Viola Morning, the mother of the victim. ''But many times, the evidence left behind is more compelling than that of an eyewitness, whose memory may or may not be clouded by the passage of time. In July 1994, he said, Miss Taylor stabbed a third woman, which resulted in an assault conviction and a sentence of one year's probation, which she violated when she failed a drug test and failed to pay restitution. RIVERHEAD, N.Y. (CBSNewYork)-- Sixteen years after a murder that stunned Suffolk County, Thursday was sentencing day for the convicted killer. District Attorney James M. Catterson Jr. said the suspect, Kalila Taylor, 20, was driven to kill by jealousy over a boyfriend the two young women had shared, Carl Brown, who left Miss Taylor for Miss Morning. The guilty verdict on July 2 was the second time Taylor was convicted of the homicide. Can you imagine what that's like for me? See the article in its original context from. The incident took place just four days. Morning. /. "My daughter's spirit can rest," Morning said. RIVERHEAD, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- It's been more than 16 years since a Riverhead High School homecoming queen was killed in a frenzied rage. Last month there was a second conviction. When 17-year-old Curtisha Morning, a promising and popular senior at Riverhead High School, disappeared a year and a half ago, her parents repeatedly told the police that she was not the type of girl to run away from home. Ruano said that even though he doesnt have a clear understanding of what happened to his son yet, he had never shown heart health issues before. It is with the deepest sorrow that we inform you this evening that a Riverhead high school student was a victim of an act of violence that occurred in our community, Tornatore said. August 23, 2012 / 5:16 PM A 15-year-old male student yelled into a classroom, "I'm going to shoot up the school." The student was . "I know my cousin and she is innocent," she said. It is our hope this second conviction will provide the Morning family with some measure of peace and closure, District Attorney Thomas Spota said. When her body was found a month later with 95 stab wounds and beneath leaves and snow at one end of the high school playing field, the family accused the police of showing little interest in finding Curtisha, let alone her killer, because Curtisha was black. Two separate school shooting threats last year led to the arrests of Riverhead High School students. / CBS New York. 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At Riverhead High School, lockdown drills are completed each quarter, fulfilling the high school lockdown drill requirement of four each school year.. Back in 1996, Viola Morning told CBS 2's McLogan, "They found my baby's body last night. ", Her eyes filled with tears, Morning said rehashing the details of her daughter's murder has made the pain fresh, 16 years later. Site made in collaboration with CMYK UNTIL three weeks ago, Karen and Robert Pace had been eagerly looking forward to the graduation of their son, Robert D. Pace, from Riverhead High School. By Chris Francescani and Melissa Azofeifa. To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com. You rely on us to stay informed, and we depend on you to make our work possible. In a stunning twist that capped a fast-moving scandal involving a member of the Riverhead Central School District Board this week, board vice president Laurie Downs resigned her position Tuesday in the wake of outrage over comments she made disparaging Brentwood as the home of dangerous Latino gangs. Historic Young Observatory reopens at Riverhead High School, Swastikas found on desks at Shoreham-Wading River High School, Editorial: Fentanyl-related arrests hark back to local horrors, Blotters: Flanders man charged with menacing after threatening someone with a box cutter, At mass shooter survival training at Riverhead theater, expert urges Run, hide, defend strategy, Public weighs in as town resumes completion of Riverhead master plan update. After she was originally found guilty in 1999, the case was thrown out in 2004 after an appellate court determined that a judge gave incorrect instructions to the convicting jury. The victim's family brimmed with emotion over the re-trial. He had told us that he was going to work very hard, to continue saving for his studies, his father said. Is the Riverhead IDA serving the publics interest? Taylor is now 35 years old. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Taylor a homecoming queen who was reportedly killed in a jealous rage over a boy. ''. Suffolk County Police homicide squad detectives yesterday arrested Donatila O'Mahony, 41, of Central Islip in the March 8, 2020 shooting death of Lee Pedersen, 69, of Pine Avenue in Aquebogue. Prosecutors said Ms. Taylor believed that her boyfriend, the father of her child, had shown a romantic interest in Ms. Morning and her daughter Trina Morning have been attending the trial. Powers said. The Chamber of Commerce announced its 2023 Academic Achiever scholarship winners Tuesday, April 25: Abigail Ralston- Riverheads. The two were classmates at Islip High School. While you are reminiscing about the times you spent in high school at Riverhead High School, you should also check out alumni photos . Officers could be seen escorting residents of Hill Rise who lived past a police blockade to their homes. She had the students go and huddle in a corner together, out of view of the classroom door.. Family and friends of the victim and the suspect packed the courtroom here today for Miss Taylor's arraignment. ', Long Island Siblings Saved By Heart Transplants Beat COVID. However, after therapy and medication she is now deemed fit for re-trial. No sales tax increase for clean water initiative: government must find another way, Holidays open the floodgates of family memories, March is an awareness month that hits home. "She took all that she had inside of her and she did it, for me. All Rights Reserved. The survival of local journalism depends on your support. RIVERHEAD, NY (PIX11) Three times in the last 10 days, students have had to be revived from apparent overdoses, all at the same high school in eastern Long Island. He wanted to continue studying medicine, since he was a nursing assistant, he wanted to be a nurse practitioner. Scholarship awardees are selected based on one-page essay or video presentation, educator or personal references, school and community activities, and overall high school transcripts. Once DNA tests were completed, the evidence was presented to a grand jury, which indicted Miss Taylor on Monday. The survival of local journalism depends on your support. Suffolk County Police Homicide Squad detectives are investigating the shooting and ask anyone with information to contact detectives at 631-852- 6392 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS. In a call to district families Wednesday, Mr. Tornatore confirmed that Preston was a high school student. Taylor stabbed Morning, who was 17 and Riverhead High School's homecoming queen, over 90 times in a jealous rage over a boy. We are a small family-owned operation. She faces two counts of second-degree murder -- one count for inflicting fatal wounds and another count for stabbing Miss Morning to death. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.