Earlier this week, Suffolk County Police announced that a 17-year-old male from Syosset has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with the death of 15-year-old Liam Delemo.
The West Babylon native was fatally stabbed at a house party on Monday, November 3rd. As the suspect is a minor, his identity has not yet been made public.
Initial reports indicate that between 90 and 100 teens attended the Carlton Road gathering. Bonnie Miranda, 70, a licensed real estate professional and grandmother of a student in the West Babylon School District, was arrested for violating Suffolk County’s social host law.
After being stabbed, Delemo was rushed to Good Samaritan Hospital in West Islip, where he was later pronounced dead. His parents told CBS News New York that their son was conscious but gravely injured when they arrived at the house after being notified of the attack.
“He was stabbed once in the left side of the gut and had a huge slice down the left side of his arm,” said father Mike Delemo. “My son is laid out on a deck bleeding, basically, at that point, to death.”
Liam’s father said he does not assign blame to the parents or grandmother of the classmate who hosted the gathering, but that “nothing can take back the fact that my son is dead.”
West Babylon High School held a vigil in Liam’s memory the day after his death. Many in the community and beyond continue to ask the same question: why?
The recent Netflix series “Adolescence” offers a chilling look into the rise of severe youth violence—teens turning on their peers with deadly consequences.
Stories like Liam’s underscore the urgent need to guide young people not only away from weapons but from the destructive mentalities that lead them toward irreversible tragedy.