Friends commemorate Citrus High teen killed on Halloween

A memorial is planned for a student killed in a hit-and-run accident while trick-or-treating last year.

By BILL VARIAN

© St. Petersburg Times, published October 29, 2000

INVERNESS -- It was supposed to be a night of whimsical mischief and frights. But a year ago Halloween night, the mischief turned tragic during a dispute between two groups of teenagers who were trick-or-treating in the Highlands section of Inverness.

[Times photo: Ron Thompson] Gail Decatrel, right, pins a ribbon to a memorial wreath in April in remembrance of her daughter. Friends will celebrate Allison Decatrel's life from 5 to 6 p.m. Tuesday.

In the aftermath, Citrus High School student Allison Decatrel, 17, lay dying on the shoulder of a residential street. Within hours, police had charged one of her classmates, Richard Burzynski, now 18, for what authorities say was an intentional hit-and-run killing.

Friends of Decatrel will spend this Halloween evening alongside the same roadway. Instead of mourning her death, they plan to remember how she lived.

"It is not only the loss that they are sharing, it's the friendship and the love you just couldn't help but to have for her," said Lisa Elmore, the mother of one of the teenagers, Chris Elmore, who was with Decatrel last Halloween.

"Allison made time for anyone and always responded with a warm smile. Keeping her in our hearts helps us return that smile," Lisa Elmore said.

The memorial will take place from 5 to 6 p.m. Tuesday near South Highlands Avenue and East Lynn Street.

Decatrel of Inverness was an avid horseback rider and was on the weightlifting team at Citrus High. She also worked part time with her mother at J.W. Morton Real Estate.

Burzynski remains in custody without bail at the Citrus County Detention Center, where he awaits trial on first-degree murder and other charges. He is charged as an adult, and his trial is scheduled in February.

Investigators with the Florida Highway Patrol say Burzynski and Decatrel were traveling in separate packs of teenagers when a dispute broke out between the two groups.

After a confrontation, officials say, he intentionally drove a 1984 Buick sedan into Decatrel's group of friends, hitting her and another teenager.

The other teen was not seriously injured.

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