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Killer's lawyer cautions kids about social media
The lawyer who defended a murderer has a message for parents: Know what your kids are posting online and texting. In this chilling story by our colleague Lane DeGregory, lawyer Jay Hebert talked to a group of middle schoolers recently because he was so shaken by the case of State of Florida vs. Rachel Wade.
Sarah Ludemann, 18, was a senior at Pinellas Park High. Rachel Wade, 19, was a waitress at Applebee's. For months, they had been dating the same unemployed boy, fighting on MySpace, sending threatening texts and voice mails. On the night of April 15, 2009, Sarah went to confront Rachel. As she stepped out of her mom's minivan, Rachel plunged a steak knife through her heart. Sarah bled to death in the street.
Hebert said the case made him worry about his own kids, how social media can escalate, so he felt compelled to talk to teenagers about this story. "They used to tell parents to put computers in a common space, to keep an eye on what their kids are doing," Hebert said. "But for you all, the computer is dead, isn't it? Your computers are your phones. I'm going to tell all your parents that they need to keep your phones in their rooms at night. So they can make sure you're not using them when you're supposed to be sleeping. So they can check your messages."
DeGregory writes: Hebert went to visit Rachel on Monday. "She wanted me to tell you some things."
He listed them:
1. No boy is worth fighting for. (The guy she killed Sarah over has never even visited her in prison.)
2. Don't answer angry texts. (If she hadn't responded to Sarah's taunts, Sarah wouldn't have come after her.)
3. Talk to your parents. (If her parents had seen her phone messages, Sarah would be alive.)
If you'd like to read more on this case, Lane DeGregory did an extensive story about the love triangle and its tragic outcome that you can read here. Have some tissues handy.
--Sharon Kennedy Wynne
Follow us on Twitter @WhoaMomma
PHOTO: Lawyer Jay Hebert, who defended Rachel Wade, warns students about how disputes via texting and social networks can escalate. [JOHN PENDYGRAFT | Times]
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THE AUTHORS
Sharon Kennedy Wynne has sunscreen in her blood. She may have been born in Buffalo but she got here as fast as she could, in time for kindergarten. She grew up in St. Petersburg, graduated from the University of Florida journalism school, and even got married at Sunken Gardens. She's one of the few adults we know who actually loves taking her kids to the beach. She has two sons and with 10 years of parenting under her belt, she's starting to feel a little less out of her league. She comes from a large family and loves to debate, so brace yourself when the hot topics come up.
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Freelance writer Courtney Cairns Pastor wasn’t so sure about having kids and how she would balance child-rearing with her journalism career. It turned out that her journalism training went to good use. As the mom to a funny, active toddler, she learned to handle him like she did her sources. Never ask yes or no questions (the answer will always be no), get him to be specific (are you crying because you’re wet or your tooth hurts?) and be prepared for anything because no two days are the same. When she’s not playing trucks, Courtney crams for her book club, trains for races and occasionally bursts into showtunes. E-mail her at 
Suzannah DiMarzio has it bad for the Mouse. Although she grew up outside of Boston, she took her degree in tourism management down to Orlando just to work at Disney and the travel industry. Of course, when she married her high school sweetheart, the reception was at Disney. She’s now a seasoned stay-at-home mom to two tweens and a toddler – and yes, that is as crazy as it sounds. Suzannah has her own blog, Comment Policy
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