After His Young Daughter Was Murdered By Her Boyfriend, Georgia Man Is On A Crusade To Stop Teen Dating Violence

Goose Creek, SC, February 9, 2015 (Newswire.com) - Dating violence among teens is alive and real, and the statistics show a startling trend.  In Georgia, the rates of teen dating violence mirror national statistics from the CDC with nearly 13 percent of females and 12 percent of males in high school reporting being physically hurt by someone they were dating.

“It’s a problem that many people do not want to think about, and so it is not discussed as often as it should be,” stated Drew Crecente of Atlanta. “There was little news coverage of TDV until 2006 when the Nat’l Awareness Week began.”

"Many people are only aware of the physical or sexual aspect of abuse and do not realize that an abusive relationship could also present itself through emotional/psychological abuse as well as stalking."

Drew Crecente, Jennifer Ann's Group

In 2006, Crecente’s life changed forever when his 18-year-old daughter and only child, Jennifer, was shot to death by her boyfriend just one day after Valentine’s Day in San Antonio, Texas.

“Jennifer met him when she was quite young because he went to the same school that she did and his mother’s house is in the same neighborhood as Jennifer’s mother,” he explained. “They dated occasionally but by her Senior year, my daughter realized that he was not the person for her to be dating.”

Jennifer’s body was eventually found in a wooded area. She had been shot in the back. Her boyfriend was eventually sentenced to 35 years in prison.

“He never once apologized to me,” explained Crecente. “The only excuse that he gave to police for killing my daughter was because ‘she had ruined my life.’”

So that his daughter’s tragedy isn’t ever forgotten, Crecente launched Jennifer Ann’s Group, a non-profit organization headquartered in Atlanta dedicated to spreading awareness about the dangers of teen dating violence awareness.

“Many people are only aware of the physical or sexual aspect of abuse and do not realize that an abusive relationship could also present itself through emotional/psychological abuse as well as stalking,” explained Crecente.

After his daughter’s untimely death, The Colquitt County Arts Center Theatre in Moultrie, Georgia dedicated the 2007 production of Oliver! to Jennifer.

The organization named in honor of Jennifer has also produced 22 video games to date to help curb the problem of teen dating violence.

“It turns out that video games are actually very effective—arguably the most effective way of preventing teen dating violence,” stated Crecente. “Video games are also effect at changing attitudes about the acceptability of some types of behavior.”

In hopes of creating more games, Crecente has launched a crowdfunding campaign on IndieGoGo.com.

“In addition to producing these games, the money raised will also help fund research on the effectiveness of our games in preventing abuse,” explained Crecente.

On February 15, the day that Jennifer was murdered, Drew’s organization will also launch the 8th annual “Life, Love, Game Design Challenge.” Past winning entries have come from all over the world. The winner will be instrumental in helping to launch the organization’s latest game.

About Drew Crecente: Drew has appeared on HLN, The Huffington Post and many other national media outlets, spreading awareness about the seriousness of teen dating violence. A native of Atlanta, he’s served as a guest speaker at national and international conferences and seminars about teen dating violence. In March, he’ll be a featured speaker at 2015 GDC. Drew has a BBA double major in Computer Information Systems and Management from the University of Texas. After launching Jennifer Ann’s Group, he received his JD from Georgia State University College of Law.