Jeremy Sanchez had been bullied because of his bisexuality.
A Los Angeles high school student was found dead this week, allegedly murdered by a former boyfriend, the Los Angeles Times reports.
The body of Jeremy Sanchez, a 17-year-old junior at South El Monte High School, was discovered Wednesday in the bushes along San Gabriel River Trail.
A 16-year-old friend has been arrested on suspicion of Sanchez’s murder and is awaiting arraignment at a juvenile detention center. The suspect, unnamed because he is a minor, was the person who “found” Sanchez’s body during a community search effort.
So. El Monte High strong in support of 17 yo Jeremy Sanchez allegedly murdered by a *friend* – Sanchez classmates have GOFUNDME. See story at 6p. pic.twitter.com/sw9SVb13fi
— Miriam Hernandez (@abc7miriam) April 20, 2018
Authorities believe the suspect asked Sanchez to meet at the river Tuesday night and then stabbed him to death.
“This is somebody who obviously planned this, who tried to plan it well,” says L.A. County Sheriff’s Department spokesperson Lt. John Corina. “And who then tried to throw everybody off.”
A motive for the brutal murder has not yet been confirmed, but Sanchez recently ended a romantic relationship with the suspect and had asked a female friend to the prom, according to the Los Angeles Blade.
“That’s something we’re following up on—if there was some kind of problem or some problem with their relationship or some kind of discrepancy… or argument,” Corina adds. “What made one kid want to kill the other kid since they were close friends?”
A candlelight vigil is about to begin for 17-year-old Jeremy Sanchez. He was a student at South El Monte High School who was found stabbed to death near a river wash yesterday. Police arrested his 16-year-old friend in the murder, after he claimed to “find” Jeremy’s body @FOXLA pic.twitter.com/4KDHoAD71i
— Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) April 20, 2018
School administrators describe Sanchez in a statement as “a happy, funny and lighthearted student who had a passion for sports, having played on the football, baseball, and wrestling teams.”
Close friends, however, say Sanchez had been bullied at school for his bisexuality, ultimately causing him to quit the wrestling and football teams.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to raise funds for Sanchez’s family and funeral expenses.
