Death of any kind is tragic. However when it is the death of a young person, of a child, it is even harder to cope with the reality.
Westminster is a small college with about 330 undergraduates. It is so small that the students become close and tight knit with one another. That is why the death of one of its students filled the school with hurt and sadness.
As if losing one of their classmates was not hard enough, the students also have to deal with the fact that another of their classmates is charged with the death.
Justin Warfield, only 18 years old, died October 18th from a drug overdose. Warfield and his friend had driven to a parking lot and injected themselves with heroin. The friend did the injecting.
After Warfield passed out from the drugs, his friends jokingly drew on his face with markers. His friends of course had no idea how serious his unconsciousness really was.
Warfield later died that night.
Hunt, the friend, is charged with injecting Warfield with drugs that caused death. New Jersey’s law states that it is a crime to make, give out, or inject anyone with a controlled drug that leads to death.
Hunt has been suspended from school.
Several other students were involved that night and have also been charged. However, the other students did not come into the picture until after Warfield had been injected and passed out. Those students are charged with aggravated hazing.
Many students are too young and out of touch with reality to realize the effects of drugs and death. They do not see and comprehend the lasting effects that they have. We as teachers and as parents need to continue to create drug awareness among the students through promotion of drug free week and programs such as D.A.R.E.