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White Connecticut Student Who Boasted About Poisoning Her Roommate Expelled, Charged with Two Misdemeanors

So this is what happened….

Posted by Jazzy Rowe on Monday, October 30, 2017

A white University of Hartford student who bragged about harassing and deliberately poisoning her Black roommate has been arrested.

West Hartford police arrested 18-year-old Brianna Brochu on Saturday, Oct. 28, after they say she confessed to sickening her roommate by rubbing used tampons on her belongings, pouring spoiled clam dip in her lotion and putting her toothbrush inside her rectum. Brochu has been charged with third-degree criminal mischief and second-degree breach of peace — both misdemeanors.

The college freshman took to Instagram last week to boast about how she “finally got rid of her roommate,” Chennel “Jazzy” Rowe, who she referred to as “Jamaican Barbie.”

“After 1 1/2 months of spitting in her coconut oil, putting moldy clam dip in her lotions, rubbing used tampons on her backpack, putting her toothbrush in places where the sun doesn’t shine and so much more, I can finally say goodbye to Jamaican Barbie,” Brochu wrote.

Image courtesy of Twitter.

Rowe, Brochu’s roommate, revealed the disturbing allegations in a video posted to her Facebook page Monday. In it, she describes getting sick for unknown reasons while her roommate gave her the cold shoulder by refusing to speak to her and switching off the lights as she studied.

“It started with throat pain,” she said. “I thought maybe because it’s colder up here, I’m just probably catching a cold.”

About a month into her mystery illness, however, Rowe said her throat pain didn’t manifest into a full cold but got so severe to the point that she couldn’t sleep or speak. That’s when she made a visit to the campus clinic where they gave her medicine to rid the bacteria from her throat.

Feeling sick and unwanted in her own dorm, Rowe ultimately decided to move out. As she was leaving, two resident assistants alerted her to Brochu’s Instagram post boasting about harassing her to make her sick.

Rowe explained that she intends to press charges against her former roommate and blasted the University of Hartford to its lukewarm response to her situation.

“As a young African-American woman, I don’t want to become another statistic,” she said. “I’m not holding my tongue any longer about my situation because this is just ridiculous to hear nothing back from my school about this. Colleges are known to just sweep issues that happen within campus under the rug — making the issue disappear and not doing anything about it.”

The gut-churning incident has spawned a #JusticeforJazzy hashtag on social media as users posted their reactions.

https://twitter.com/Nsorommaa_/status/925765391862980612

The University of Hartford issued a statement Wednesday announcing Brochu’s expulsion from the school. President Greg Woodard reiterated to Rowe his commitment to providing her with the personal and academic resources she needs.

“It is clear there is work to be done at our University to ensure that all students feel safe, respected, and valued,” Woodard wrote. “The conversations that began with student groups, faculty, and staff yesterday are going to continue and involve our full community. I am dedicated to that mission and will continue to share additional information about opportunities for our path forward in meaningful dialogue and action.”

Brochu is scheduled to be arraigned on Nov. 1. She’s currently free on $1,000 bond.

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