Top Stories

Students from victim's alma mater present check to father raising dating violence awareness

A Pitt student who police say was murdered by her boyfriend was honored Thursday by students from her high school.

Alina Sheykhet graduated from Montour High School and Thursday there was an assembly where another local family told their story about how their daughter was murdered, a victim of domestic violence.

Students presented a check to Gary Cuccia for his organization that honors his daughter, Demi.

Demi was a 16-year-old Gateway student when she was brutally murdered by her ex-boyfriend in 2007.

TRENDING NOW:

Gary has since devoted his life to raising awareness of dating violence and has spoken to high school students for the last year.

"We realize as a community and as a student body that domestic violence awareness is a very big issue and we know that we have some peers in our school that face it and we just want to get it out there and make a difference to everyone," Mikayla Ulizzi said.

Gary got legislation passed after Demi's death that encourages these kinds of assemblies and he commends Alina's family as they try to get legislation passed in her name.