A Virginia teen was shot and killed this week by her ex-boyfriend in a suspected murder-suicide just weeks after seeking a no-contact order against him.
Serenity Hawley, of Blacksburg, was just two days away from turning 18 when her ex-boyfriend, Croney Monk, allegedly shot her in the chest before turning the gun on himself Tuesday, her devastated family told 10 News.
The former couple’s bodies were later found in Hawley’s car in a local parking garage, according to the Roanoke Times.
Hawley sought a no-contact order against Monk through Blacksburg High School about a month before the tragedy, complaining about him of harassing and blackmailing her, according to her family.
“I do believe that this could have been prevented,” her mother, Heather Waldron, told the outlet.
“People in positions of leadership knew that he has a history or a past, and I think that if that had been taken care of, we wouldn’t be here,” the grieving mom said.
“I just hope that this is a wake-up call for others that could be in this situation. And I hope that this will prevent someone else, another parent, from living this nightmare.”
Hawley’s father, John Hawley, said his daughter was being intimidated by her ex – but mostly kept it secret from her family.
“She was getting that full rainbow of experience. We didn’t know that. She didn’t tell us that,” he lamented.
“But we found out today that, yeah, in the hallways he would walk in front of her and make his presence known, and just do different things.
“He was on social media constantly. He was blackmailing her, telling her he was going to show this and show that. Those are not they types of things that kids need to be doing.”
Hawley’s stepmother, Katherine Hawley, also said that there was “a lot of stuff that we found out after the fact that we wish we would have known.”
“Violence in any form, especially domestic violence, is serious,” she said.
They plan to use some of the funds from a GoFundMe — which by Friday had raised almost $21,000, around $6,000 over its $15,000 goal — to set up a scholarship in her memory.
“And also volunteer and talking about domestic violence with teenagers, because that’s where it starts,” her dad told told WDBJ.
“If we can do something to her passing to help someone else escape this kind of torment, then that’s what we want to do. We know that she would want us to have some sort of action.”
Montgomery County Public Schools did not immediately respond to messages Friday about what action, if any, was taken to help the no-murdered girl.
“First and foremost in our thoughts are the families and loved ones of the two children who lost their lives,” the school district said in a statement, saying they “cannot imagine” what Hawley’s family is “going through.”
“We are deeply saddened by this loss and are trying our best as a community to deal with the devastating impact.”
Blacksburg Police Department confirmed the Tuesday shooting was a one-time incident, and there is no outstanding threat to the public, WDBJ said.
The family of Monk – a Blacksburg High School junior and former varsity football player – has not commented on the deaths.
Hawley, a senior, was recently accepted to Virginia Tech, which she was “so excited” to attend, her father said.
“She was a great kid. I mean I couldn’t have asked for a better child,” the devastated dad told 10 News.
Her mom said the murdered teen was also “very vivacious.”
“She was just larger than life. And to know that she is gone is just unreal,” Waldron added.
“It’s like the nightmare you can’t wake up” from, the mom said.