Students Honor Classmate Slain on Prom Day at Beach Gathering

Friends and classmates of 16-year-old Maren Sanchez, who was fatally stabbed on Friday, held a seaside memorial to the murdered teen on what would have been their prom night.

Students of Jonathan Law High School in Milford, Conn., many of whom were dressed in tuxedos and prom dresses they had picked out for the event, paid tribute to Sanchez by holding up her green dress and offering remembrances, People reports. More than 200 people attended the memorial. The prom has been postponed indefinitely.

Police took the alleged attacker, a 16-year-old male classmate, into custody and are investigating whether or not Sanchez was killed for rejecting the suspect’s invitation to be his prom date. Authorities are not releasing his name because of juvenile offender laws, but multiple media reports identify the suspect as Chris Plaskon. The suspect’s attorney says his client could be charged as an adult in accordance with Connecticut law, the New York Times reports.

“We are obviously devastated by the loss of one of our students, Maren Sanchez,” Superintendent Elizabeth Feser said Friday at a press conference. “She was a 16-year-old junior – vibrant, very, very involved in Jonathan Law High School, an incredible contributor, someone who was loved and respected.”

[People]