PHOENIX — Sandra Day O'Connor High School administrators were not negligent in failing to prevent one of its students from murdering a classmate in 2014 and then taking his own life, the state's highest court has concluded.
In a court ruling released on Friday, the Arizona Supreme Court found the Deer Valley Unified School District could not be held liable for the death of 16-year-old Anastasia Greer, who was killed by 15-year-old Matthew Bolton on March 7, 2014.
Court records show Bolton followed Greer to her friend's house in north Phoenix and shot the girl before turning the gun on himself.
In the days leading up to her death, Greer had been caught up in a complicated relationship triangle with Bolton and his ex-girlfriend.
Bolton had been in relationships with both girls at different times and started to display violent behavior toward them.
Earlier in the school year, Bolton got into a physical altercation with his ex-girlfriend that ended with Bolton shoving the girl to the ground and shaking her. Both students were suspended from school for several days.
Greer and the other girl grew fearful of Bolton's behavior and reported a series of threatening text messages he had sent one of them.
Vice Principal Kimberly Heinz and the school's safety officer developed a plan to protect Bolton's ex-girlfriend that involved escorting her around campus and removing her from classes she shared with Bolton.
But the administrators declined to implement similar protections for Greer.
On March 7, Bolton failed to show up for class and Greer allegedly told Heinz she was planning to meet him after school. Greer reportedly felt Bolton "did not pose any threat to her," court records state.
The school's safety officer allegedly told Greer not to meet with Bolton but took no further action to stop her. Bolton killed Greer that afternoon.
Shortly after the murder-suicide incident, Greer's parents sued Deer Valley Unified's employees for negligently not protecting their daughter from a dangerous student who had a record of threatening and harming others.
The Arizona Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the victim, finding the district had an obligation to intervene before the situation turned deadly.
But the Supreme Court effectively overturned the lower court's ruling by siding with the district. The court's justices determined school staff didn't have enough cause to intervene in Greer's affairs off campus.
"Nothing in the record suggests that Matthew posed a risk to Ana before she safely left the District’s supervision and control on March 7," the justices wrote.
Despite finding Greer's death to be a "tragic case," the justices ruled there was not enough evidence to blame school administrators for a crime that happened beyond its jurisdiction.
"Once students safely leave the school’s control, the special relationship ends, and students are simultaneously released to their parents’ or guardians’ full custodial care," the ruling states. "At that point, the school is relieved of any duty to affirmatively protect students from any hazards they encounter."
