A teenage conflict in Puerto Rico has ended in tragedy, leaving a family shattered and a community demanding justice. Sixteen-year-old Gabriela Nicole Pratts Rosario was brutally killed in front of her mother, Lisandra “Lisa” Rosario, on August 10 in Aibonito.
Gabriela, just days from turning 17, dreamed of becoming a psychologist. Remembered as kind and animal-loving, she had once been close friends with her alleged attacker, 17-year-old Anthonieshka Avilés Cabrera, before tensions between them escalated.
After an end-of-summer party, a fight broke out on Desvío Roberto Colón. Gabriela stepped in to defend her older sister, who had been attacked. Prosecutors say Anthonieshka and her 40-year-old mother, Elvia Cabrera Rivera, then turned on Gabriela with a bladed weapon. Gabriela was stabbed eight times, and a friend trying to protect her suffered three serious wounds.
Lisandra, restrained by others, could only watch in horror. Gabriela was rushed to the hospital but died of her injuries shortly after midnight.