MIAMI – Jorge and Maria Gough are one of the few couples in South Florida who can relate to the family of the teenager who was fatally stabbed at Coral Gables Senior High School on Tuesday.
Police said Juan Carlos Rivera was stabbed to death between classes.
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Five years ago, 14-year-old Jaime Gough was killed in school, as well. Gough was an eighth grader at Southwood Middle School when he was stabbed to death in a bathroom. Classmate Michael Hernandez was convicted of his murder .
News of another death on a South Florida school campus brought the Goughs back to the day they got the call.
?We don?t know them, but we know what they?re going through," Jorge Gough said. "For me, I felt like I didn?t want to live anymore. It consumed me, I couldn?t sleep."
This was not the first time they have relived the worst day of their lives. Less than a year ago, 15-year-old Amanda Collette was gunned down at Dillard High School in Fort Lauderdale. A classmate was accused of the crime.
After their loss, the Gough?s became advocates of increased school security. While they agree that parents hold the responsibility for teaching children the consequences of their actions and how to handle their problems without violence, the Goughs would like to see metal detectors at the entrances of all South Florida schools.
"The government should step in and do something about this. You know, we?re spending money on other things and our children are dying in school. Something has to be done," Jorge Gough said.
The Goughs said they plan to reach out to Rivera's family in the future.