According to testimony at an inquest on Tuesday, manager Harley Branham brutally bullied 17-year-old Kenneth Suttner while he worked at the fast food chain in Fayette, MO. Branham would often ridicule the teen and make him scrub the dirty floor while lying on his stomach. She also once threw a cheeseburger at Suttner because he messed up an order.
Branham briefly took the stand and claimed the insults were in jest and she was not responsible for the suicide.
“There’s a lot of people at Dairy Queen saying I was the reason” he killed himself, she said, “but I don’t understand why it would be that way.”
Suttner died on December 21st when he shot himself in the head in front of his family’s house.
Those close to Suttner claim he was bullied at school as well. Various friends of the family claim the boy was bullied both by other students and faculty and that bullying is a systemic problem in the school district.
Branham was arrested after the inquest and placed on a 24 hour “hold”. Prosecutors are now deciding how to charge her.
Photos by Timothy Tai/Columbia Daily Tribune
