UPDATED: Friday, August 19, 1:43 PM EST
Members of the advocacy group Color Of Change have started a petition to free Bresha Meadows, an imprisoned 15-year-old Ohio girl accused of fatally shooting her father. So far, the petition has over 800 signatures.
Meadows says she suffered years of trauma under her father and watched as he threatened and physically assaulted her mother and siblings.
A GoFundMe campaign in Meadows’ name is also available for supporters who want to contribute financially to her cause. As of Friday, the campaign has raised over $37,000 dollars.
Twitter users started the hashtag #FreeBreshaMeadows, calling for the teen’s release.
https://twitter.com/prisonculture/status/766663585175072769
https://twitter.com/chirpinglizzie/status/766666108526997508
SOURCES: Color Of Change | PHOTO CREDIT: Twitter
Bresha Meadows, the 15-year-old Ohio girl accused of fatally shot her father two weeks ago, has her mother’s full support.
In an exclusive interview with Fox 8 Cleveland, Brandi Meadows, Bresha’s mother, tearfully spoke about her family’s pain, saying that her daughter saved the family from her allegedly abusive spouse.
“She is my hero. I wasn’t strong enough to get out and she helped me,” Meadows told reporters gathered at her home.
Bresha is accused of shooting her father, Jonathan Meadows, 41, with his own .45-caliber gun on July 28 as he slept on a couch in the family home. Bresha now faces aggravated murder charges. If charged as an adult and found guilty, she would be the youngest inmate in the Ohio prison system, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Family attorney Ian Friedman is throwing his legal prowess behind Bresha to fight those charges, saying she acted out in fear after witnessing years of abuse. “She was trying to protect her mom,” Friedman said. “He was using this gun around this house to intimidate. Everyone was terrified.”
Martina Latessa, Bresha’s aunt, told Fox 8 that Bresha ran away from home once to escape her family environment – lamenting that she feared for her and her family’s safety.
Brandi Meadows corroborated that the abuse took a toll on her daughter, who started underperforming in school after years of thriving as an honor roll student. Bresha, who turned 15 on August 11 while in the Trumbull County juvenile detention facility, was slated to begin her freshman year of high school in the fall.
Twitter users started the hashtag #FreeBreshaMeadows, calling for the teen’s release as her attorneys prepare for an embattled legal fight to prove Bresha acted in self-defense.
https://twitter.com/eveewing/status/765268296635715584
SOURCE: Fox 8, Cleveland Plain Dealer | PHOTO CREDIT: Getty, Twitter
SEE ALSO:
Was 14-Year-Old Bresha Meadows Standing Her Ground When She Shot Her Father?
Bresha Meadows Case Highlights Importance Of Mental Health Treatment In Black Community
