WINTER GARDEN, Fla. -- Amelia Sookdeo attended West Orange High School. Students there Friday were dealing with the news of her murder and wondering why this happened.

When students arrived at West Orange High School on Friday morning, some hadn't heard the unthinkable fate of junior Amelia Sookdeo. Others were already in the depths of grief.

"They're so hurt, so angry that they lost a friend," said Mary Rambhacus.

Her daughter was one of Amelia's best friends, one of the teens who'd been trying to believe Amelia had simply run away. Like all of her friends, she learned what happened on the 11 o'clock news.

Administrators at West Orange said close to three dozen students needed special counseling to cope with their grief. But Principal Dan Buckman said finding the words to console them is easier said than done.

"Such a heinous crime, that it hurts your heart. And what we tell young people is that life is very short, so you hang on to friends and you hang on to each other," Buckman said.

"The way that she was killed was absolutely despicable. So I say, the guy should be killed how he killed her," said classmate Kenneth Abbott.

School administrators said as many as 100 students may have known Amelia, 100 kids who are now trying to understand something that simply doesn't make any sense.

Meanwhile, the family has not finalized any funeral arrangements.