Velazquez: "I'm not a mean person"

NEW YORK (NBC-WWLP) - One of the girls accused of bullying South Hadley High School student Phoebe prince appeared on the Today Show Friday morning for an interview with Ann Curry.

Sharon Chanon Velasquez told Curry that she has been treated unfairly since charges were filed against her and her friends.

Velasquez said she was only trying to help her friend, and didn't know that Phoebe was going through a difficult time. “I didn’t know that she had so many problems, and if I had known that, then I would have gotten out of my way and tried to help her, instead of saying the things that I said to her,” Velazquez said.

“I was trying to help out a friend, and people don’t understand that, and I want them to know that, and they’re going around saying things that aren’t true, and saying that I stalked her and that I bullied her, and that wasn’t the case at all, we argued,” Velazquez added. “Some of the things I said to her were unnecessary, and you know, mean, but it’s arguing and I only argued with her three times, and after that, I left it alone.”

Velazquez said that she has received death threats and has been bullied at school after the accusations were made public. She says she wants people to leave her alone and not to judge her. She added that she had to stop her modeling career due to the allegations. “I’m not a mean person. I think I’m really caring. I care a lot because I went out of my way to help out my friend, and I didn’t mean to hurt somebody, or say the things I said to them,” she said.

Although it was not shown during the interview, Ann Curry later said that Velasquez said she is sorry to Phoebe's parents for their loss, and that she didn’t mean any of the things that she said.

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