Christian Alberto Sierra, 17, was a popular student and athlete at Loudoun Valley High School.  His friends noticed his good-natured demeanor begin to slip into a depression and ultimately toward the unthinkable.  On May 24, 2014, he suffered a breakdown and threatened suicide.

While at a friend's house on a Saturday afternoon, he began to act erratically and harmed himself with a knife.  The Washington Post describes what happened:

Christian began cutting himself with a knife, his mother said, and a friend called 911 shortly after 2 p.m.