A former college freshman in Connecticut has been charged with a hate crime after she allegedly tormented a black roommate she called âJamaican Barbie.â
Hartford police arrested Brianna Rae Brochu on Saturday after they say she admitted to committing a series of vile acts against Chennel âJazzyâ Rowe in order to get Rowe to move out of the dorm they shared at the University of Hartford.
Police said Brochu confessed to licking Roweâs dining utensils and smearing menstrual blood on her backpack, according to the Hartford Courant. However, she did not admit to any of the other heinous acts she posted about on social media, telling police that anything else she described was merely an attempt to âappear funny.â
On Instagram, where her account has since been made private, Brochu had boasted about putting moldy clam dip in Roweâs lotions, spitting in her coconut oil and sticking Roweâs toothbrush âwhere the sun doesnât shine.â
According to a court document obtained by Heavy.com, Brochu told police she âbegan to lash out due to a âhostile environmentââ caused by Roweâs ârude behavior.â
She accused Rowe of ânot compromising, and posting Snapchat videos of me sleeping and making fun of me snoring.â Brochu also said sheâd been trying to get a room change since early October, but had been unsuccessful.
Brochu was charged with criminal mischief and breach of peace on Saturday, but an additional charge of intimidation based on bigotry or bias â a hate crime charge â was added on Wednesday.
She was expelled from the university the same day, according to the New York Times.
âShe will not be returning to the institution,â the schoolâs president, Gregory S. Woodward, told the Times.
Brochu had been attending the school on a four-year, $20,000-per-year art scholarship, according to Heavy.com.
Rowe believes Brochuâs actions were racially motivated, especially since her former dormmate called her âJamaican Barbie.â
âRubbing bloody tampons on my things, ... she posted pictures of my Steve Madden bag that I had been sleeping next to the whole time on my bed with blood stains on it,â Rowe told local station WTIC TV.
Rowe also discussed the ordeal in a Facebook live post on Monday and said she had been feeling sick lately, but wasnât sure why.
âIt started with throat pain. I thought maybe because itâs colder up here, Iâm just probably catching a cold,â she said in the video.
She added, âThe sore throat pain got worse and it was just throat pain. And this was happening for about a month. It got to the point where I had extreme throat pain where I couldnât sleep, to the point where I couldnât speak. Like Iâd try to whisper, and I could barely whisper.â
Rowe was upset that Brochu had been posting about the things she was doing to her since early September, but she only found out on Oct. 17, when she was moving out, according to Heavy.com.
In her live video, Rowe said that school authorities told her she could be removed from her campus residence if she spoke out about her situation.
She speculated that the university might have responded to the situation more quickly if she were white and Brochu were black.
âIf the race roles were reversed, I feel like this would have gone down a different route,â she said.
The incident is getting worldwide attention and #justiceforjazzy has become a trending hashtag on Twitter.
Woodward, the school president, released a statement on Wednesday, calling Brochuâs behavior âreprehensibleâ while insisting that the university followed proper protocol:
âThe University strictly and swiftly followed all procedural and legal processes related to this alleged event; claims to the contrary are based on misinformation. The incident has brought about accusations of racism, and I want you to know that I hear and share your anger and frustration. Acts of racism, bias, bullying, or other abusive behaviors will not be tolerated on this campus. I pledge to do everything in my power to work with our community to address related concerns together.â