Former UHart Student Gets Accelerated Rehabilitation in Body Fluids Bullying Case

A white former Connecticut university student accused of smearing body fluids on her black roommate's belongings will enter an accelerated rehabilitation program, which could mean that criminal charges are erased from her record, and her case will not go to trial.

At a hearing Monday in Hartford Superior Court, a judge ruled in favor of accelerated rehabilitation for 18-year-old Brianna Brochu, of Harwinton. She has been ordered to perform 200 hours of community service and will avoid misdemeanor charges on her record.

Police said the former University of Hartford student wrote on Instagram in October about rubbing used tampons on her roommate's backpack, putting her roommate's toothbrush "where the sun doesn't shine" and mixing moldy clam dip in her lotion. Her roommate said she developed throat pain.

Civil rights advocates called for hate crime charges, but a prosecutor concluded there was no evidence of hate crimes.

Brochu's lawyer said Brochu's actions weren't racially motivated.

The victim, Chennel "Jazzy" Rowe, who attended the court hearing, was not opposed to Brochu entering the program.

"At the end of the day, it's really going to boil down to how Brianna Brochu chooses to deal with this second chance," Derek Sells, the attorney for the victim, says.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
Contact Us