A teenage conflict in Puerto Rico has ended in tragedy, leaving a family shattered and a community demanding justice. Sixteen-year-old Gabriela Nicole Pratts Rosario was brutally killed in front of her mother, Lisandra “Lisa” Rosario, on August 10 in Aibonito.
Gabriela, just days from turning 17, dreamed of becoming a psychologist. Remembered as kind and animal-loving, she had once been close friends with her alleged attacker, 17-year-old Anthonieshka Avilés Cabrera, before tensions between them escalated.
After an end-of-summer party, a fight broke out on Desvío Roberto Colón. Gabriela stepped in to defend her older sister, who had been attacked. Prosecutors say Anthonieshka and her 40-year-old mother, Elvia Cabrera Rivera, then turned on Gabriela with a bladed weapon. Gabriela was stabbed eight times, and a friend trying to protect her suffered three serious wounds.
Lisandra, restrained by others, could only watch in horror. Gabriela was rushed to the hospital but died of her injuries shortly after midnight.
Days later, police arrested the mother-daughter suspects. Lisandra confronted them in tears, shouting for justice. Both face first-degree murder charges with bail set at one million dollars each. Due to the crime’s severity, Anthonieshka will be tried as an adult.
Forensic evidence—including a weapon, bloodstained clothes, and a vehicle—supports the case. Authorities also indicated that more arrests could follow, as witnesses claim others restrained Gabriela’s mother during the attack.
Gabriela’s funeral in Aibonito drew hundreds of mourners, from classmates to neighbors. Images of Lisandra’s grief spread widely online, sparking outrage and solidarity. “When a mother cries, we all cry,” one message read.
Puerto Rico’s Secretary of Justice condemned the crime as an act that caused “collective outrage,” vowing accountability. Gabriela’s death has since become a rallying cry across the island—a call for justice, remembrance, and an end to senseless violence.
