April 13, 2024
Parents Of Teen In Viral Fight Say Text Messages Between Both Participants Were Equally Hostile
Kaylee Gain's father revealed that both teens agreed to the fight, "to meet up and settle what was going on."
The parents of Kaylee Gain have shed light on the text exchange between their daughter and 15-year-old Maurnice DeClue that escalated into a violent fight between the two teens, capturing global attention.
Clinton Gain, 41, and Kaylee’s stepmother, Jamie Gain, revealed to The New York Post that they scrutinized the 16-year-old’s device to understand the events leading up to the caught-on-video clash.
The teens belonged to rival friend groups at Hazelwood East High School near St. Louis. Tensions flared after Kaylee got into a fight with DeClue’s friend prior to the viral face-off. “They both agreed to the fight, to meet up and settle what was going on,” Clinton said, declining to disclose the exact content of the messages.
Jamie acknowledged that both teens made the “terrible decision” to address their dispute with violence. They met at a location known for hosting teen fights, roughly a mile away from their school. During the altercation, DeClue gained the upper hand, mounting Gain and repeatedly smashing her head against the sidewalk.
Prosecutors are now attempting to charge DeClue as an adult, with a hearing scheduled for May 1.
DeClue’s parents and attorney have portrayed their daughter as an honors student proficient in multiple languages and a violin player in the school band. They assert the fight stemmed from Kaylee’s bullying, a claim the teen’s parents vehemently refute, stating it is untrue. Clinton says Kaylee now requires assistance to walk due to her injuries, including a fractured skull and brain bleeding.
“She speaks, but it doesn’t always make sense,” Jamie said about her daughter, who is currently in a weak and wobbly state. “She sort of talks in a loop.” Jamie said DeClue nearly “killed her” daughter.
Kaylee’s parents refuted the claims that she was the bully, asserting that the hostile exchange went both ways through their text messages.