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Ten years later, the Lauren Dunne Astley Memorial Fund keeps Lauren’s legacy alive

Wayland Student Press Network 11/10/21: Ten years later, the Lauren Dunne Astley Memorial Fund keeps Lauren’s legacy alive. On the bottom of the Lauren Dunne…

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Honoring Lauren Astley’s memory at Wayland site

Wayland Town Crier 10/2/15: Honoring Lauren Astley’s memory at Wayland site. Some 30 volunteers came together to honor Lauren Astley’s memory by working at Wayland’s…

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Mother Of Slain Wayland Teen Explains ‘Cardinal Rule’ Of Healthy Breakups

WBUR 3/19/13: Mother Of Slain Wayland Teen Explains ‘Cardinal Rule’ Of Healthy Breakups. Lauren Astley’s father has said that two lives were lost when his 18-year-old daughter was killed — not just Astley’s, but also the life of her former boyfriend, Nathaniel Fujita. Fujita, 20, was sentenced this month to life in prison. He murdered Astley in their hometown of Wayland almost two years ago when she met up with him after their breakup. Now Astley’s parents hope some good will be done in their daughter’s name. They’ve created the Lauren Dunne Astley Memorial Fund, which sponsors programs to help prevent teen dating violence and promote healthy teenage relationships. It also supports the arts and community service, which were a big part of Astley’s life. WBUR’s All Things Considered host Sacha Pfeiffer spoke with Astley’s mother, Mary Dunne, about what lessons she hopes other teenagers will learn from her daughter’s death.

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Lauren Astley’s parents helping to prevent dating violence

NECN 3/12/13: Lauren Astley’s parents helping to prevent dating violence. An attorney for Nathaniel Fujita is planning an appeal for his murder conviction. A jury rejected the teen’s insanity defense, convicting him in the death of his ex-girlfriend Lauren Astley. Astley’s parents have vowed to take action to prevent dating violence and promote healthy relationships. Malcolm Astley and Mary Dunne established the Lauren Dunne Astley Memorial Fund, a non-profit charitable organization founded to honor the life of Lauren. Part of their mission is to promote educational programs that would help teach healthy emotions and relationships. For more information, visit their website: http://laurendunneastleymemorialfund.org/.

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Lauren Astley’s parents hope to curb teen dating violence after first degree murder conviction

Boston Globe 3/9/13: Lauren Astley’s parents hope to curb teen dating violence after first degree murder conviction. Looking back there were signs, but they were deceptively subtle. Her friends didn’t like him, he rarely came to her house, he couldn’t seem to let her go. One day after seeing Nathaniel Fujita convicted of murdering his former girlfriend — her only daughter, Lauren Astley — Mary Dunne reflected on the ways parents can prevent tragedies like the one she is enduring. She wants other parents to benefit from what she has learned so painfully about teen dating violence. Dunne and Lauren’s father, Malcolm Astley, have both spent their careers in education. Although divorced, they are united in wanting to channel their grief into action. To that end, they established the Lauren Dunne Astley Memorial Fund, which supports programs on healthy relationships and teen dating violence. It can be found online at laurendunneastleymemorialfund.org.

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Murder victim’s dad makes fighting domestic violence his mission

WCVB 3/7/13: Murder victim’s dad makes fighting domestic violence his mission. Just hours after Nathaniel Fujita was found guilty of first-degree murder for the death of Lauren Astley, her father, Dr. Malcolm Astley, granted his first interview following the verdict. The families have known one another for years; their children grew up together. Dr. Astley recalled that Lauren and Nate shared many experiences with each other’s families. Following the reading of the verdict, Astley embraced Nate’s parents, Beth and Tomo Fujita. Astley said it was a shared moment of empathy and compassion. “I was dealing with my own loss of my daughter, and also Nate,” said Astley. “I wanted to be with them — share the pain that we’ve all experienced in different ways in this tragedy and crime.”   With video.

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