The family of a slain Prince George's County high school student will be presented with her diploma Tuesday.
Amber Stanley, 17, was fatally shot in her own bedroom in Kettering, Md., Aug. 23. Police say someone broke into her home in the 100 block of Chartsey Street just after 10 p.m. that night.
Stanley, a senior at C.H. Flowers High School in Springdale, was shot her in her bed. Her sister, niece and foster sister, also inside the home at the time, were not hurt.
"I'm so hurt that it's like my heart was ripped out of my chest," Stanley's mother, Irma Gaither, said last August.
Stanley was remembered as a friendly and dedicated student who had hoped to attend Harvard University and had talked of becoming a doctor.
C. H. Flowers High School Principal Gorman Brown said he thought she could have gone to any school she'd wanted and likely would have earned a scholarship.
"She was a very affable young lady," he said shortly after her death. "Students loved her; teachers loved her. She was very active in our school community."
The graduation will be held Tuesday afternoon at the Comcast Center.
Last week, the memory of another slain Prince George's County teen was honored at a graduation ceremony for Central High School students. Marckel Ross, 18, a high school junior, was gunned down Sept. 11 as he walked to school. The suspect in his death, Travon Donnell Bennett, is in jail awaiting trial.
However, Stanley's murder remains unsolved. Gaither said last August that she didn't understand why anyone would have wanted to kill her daughter.
"She was a nice girl," Gaither said. "She was a nice person. She was a lovable person."
Anyone with information on Stanley's death is asked to call Crime Solvers at 866-411-TIPS. Callers may remain anonymous.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE:
- Emotions Running High After Youth Slayings
- Dozens Attend Amber Stanley Fundraiser
- Searching for Amber Stanley's Killer
- Police: No Progress In Teen Shooting Probe
- Mother Remembers Slain Teen
- Honor Student Fatally Shot in Home Invasion
Photo Credit: Gloria Kirk