Skip to main content

Kaylee Gain in Coma: St. Louis Schoolgirl Brutally Beaten by Teen

Nancy GraceMarch 18, 202441 min281,333 views
30 connections·40 entities in this video

The Violent Incident

  • 🚨 Kaylee Gain, a 16-year-old schoolgirl, was beaten into a coma by 15-year-old Maurnice DeClue near Hazelwood East High School in St. Louis.
  • 🎥 The brutal attack, which involved Kaylee's head being repeatedly slammed into concrete, was filmed by numerous bystanders who largely failed to intervene or call for help.
  • ⚠️ One bystander attempted to pull the attacker off Kaylee but was pushed back by other girls, leading to separate altercations while Kaylee remained unconscious.

Severe Injuries and Medical Insights

  • 🧠 Kaylee suffered a skull fracture, frontal lobe damage, major brain bleeding, and swelling, with doctors unable to fully determine the extent of damage until she regains consciousness.
  • 🔬 Dr. Harvey Castro explained the "coup-contrecoup" injury, where the brain is damaged by hitting both the front and back of the skull, causing shearing of blood vessels and significant swelling.
  • ⚡ The irritation from blood and pressure on the brain led to convulsions (seizures), indicating severe neurological distress and ongoing damage.

Legal Proceedings and Debate

  • ⚖️ Maurnice DeClue was arrested on assault charges, with a critical debate ongoing about whether she should be prosecuted as an adult or a juvenile.
  • 🗣️ Nancy Grace and other experts argue for adult charges, citing the extreme violence, the attacker's apparent intent, and the severe, potentially permanent injuries inflicted on Kaylee.
  • 🏛️ Under Missouri law, a juvenile judge will decide whether the case is certified for adult court, a process that involves background reports and a certification hearing.

Contrasting Perspectives and Criticisms

  • 💬 DeClue's family claims she is the victim of bullying and acted in self-defense, alleging Kaylee initiated the physical altercation.
  • ❌ This self-defense claim is strongly refuted by legal experts, who emphasize that the level of force used far exceeded any reasonable defense once the initial threat, if any, was neutralized.
  • 🏫 The Hazelwood School District's statement offering "sincerest condolences to everyone involved" was criticized for its lack of specific empathy for Kaylee and for not taking responsibility.

Community Response and Call to Action

  • 📱 Bystanders were observed filming the incident and then leaving Kaylee unconscious on the pavement, highlighting a disturbing lack of intervention.
  • 📞 Nancy Grace urged the public to contact the District Attorney Gabriel Gore and Attorney General Andrew Bailey to advocate for adult prosecution of the attacker.
  • 🙏 A GoFundMe was set up for Kaylee, who remains in critical condition, with her grandmother praying nightly for her recovery from permanent brain damage.
Knowledge graph40 entities · 30 connections

How they connect

An interactive map of every person, idea, and reference from this conversation. Hover to trace connections, click to explore.

Hover · drag to explore
40 entities
Chapters14 moments

Key Moments

Transcript153 segments

Full Transcript

Topics15 themes

What’s Discussed

Kaylee GainMaurnice DeClueHazelwood East High SchoolSt. Louis County, MissouriComaBrain BleedingSkull FractureFrontal Lobe DamageCoup-Contrecoup InjuryJuvenile Justice SystemAdult ProsecutionAggravated AssaultSelf-DefenseBystander InterventionSchool District Response
Smart Objects40 · 30 links
People· 14
Concepts· 17
Locations· 4
Companies· 3
Medias· 2