In high school, Brian Shaw was considered a leader and a role model. Last summer, the Syracuse University senior and cheerleader was singled out by local officials for special recognition as an inner-city school success story.
So people were shocked when Shaw was charged with killing the mother of his 4-year-old daughter _ a crime, police say, the little girl witnessed.
"I can't even fathom this," said Jean Phillips, the principal at Henninger High School, where Shaw graduated in 2001. "Anybody that you talk to would just tell you what a great guy he is."
Shaw, 22, was arraigned Friday on a charge of second-degree murder, weeping as he was accused in the death of 23-year-old Chiarra Seals. Family and friends for both packed the courtroom, including Syracuse Common Councilor Tom Seals, the woman's great uncle.
Newsday.com - AP New York
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