Cleared of cyberbullying charges in connection with the suicide of a teenage girl, 13-year-old Katelyn Roman tells INSIDE EDITION her side of the story.
Thirteen-year-old Katelyn Roman sat down with INSIDE EDITION and expressed how she felt when she was charged with cyberbullying a friend into killing herself.
She said, "I was thinking ‘Why am I charged for this?’ because I didn’t really bully Rebecca," when Sheriff Grady Judd made the stunning announcement, “We have these wonderful photos of our two new felons."
As he made the statement, Sheriff Judd showed the world the names and faces of two Florida minors he charged with bullying 12-year-old Rebecca Sedwick into leaping to her death from a tower last month, and revealed a shocking Facebook message from one of the girls that says, "Yes, I bullied Rebecca and she killed herself but I don't give a (blank)."
Roman insisted that she is not a bully and cannot believe the way the sheriff revealed her to the world.
Roman shared, "He was basically saying, ‘Here she is. Go get her.’ "
She was joined by her parents and their lawyer, the noted Jose Baez, who didn’t mince words about the sheriff's controversial deed.
Baez said, "I think he should man up and give this child the apology she deserves."
Watch The Roman Family And Lawyer Jose Baez Talk About The Dropped Charges
Charges of aggravated stalking were dropped this week against the girls when the prosecution failed to find enough evidence to charge them.
Yet, Sheriff Judd says the mission has been accomplished, “Our goal is that these kids never bully anyone again."
Legal analyst Nancy Grace insists that justice has not been served.
"The prosecution should revisit whether stalking charges are appropriate against these two," said Grace.
Roman's tearful mother will never forget the day her daughter was arrested. She shared, "The most horrible thing is that someone put your small child in handcuffs. You're talking about a 12-year-old girl."
Roman’s father expressed, "I was scared to death because I was scared that they were going to come and kill her."
Although Roman maintains her innocence, this seventh grader takes away from the experience a strong life lesson.
She concluded, "Bullying is wrong and words can hurt a lot."
