Mom blames daughter’s suicide on university for not investigating rape
The mother of a New Jersey student who committed suicide is blaming the university her daughter attended for not properly investigating claims that she was raped.
The mother of a New Jersey student who committed suicide is blaming the university her daughter attended for not properly investigating claims that she was raped.
Last November, Cherelle Locklear was found dead in a dormitory bathroom, two months after she was allegedly raped. Her mother, Marquesa Jackson-Locklear, filed suit last week blaming William Paterson University for her daughter’s death, claiming that after Cherelle reported that she was attacked at the Sigma Pi house, the university “did not engage in even a modicum of the investigation required by law.”
According to Jackson-Locklear, Cherelle had attempted suicide in October before she spoke to campus administrator Theresa Bivaletz and told Bivaletz about the rape. However, it was not immediately reported to police, and the accused rapist was never questioned by police or disciplined by the school.
The lawsuit names Sigma Pi, William Paterson University, and school officials as well as police officers as being responsible for Cherelle’s death.
