This is a sad and shocking story. What is the State of New Jersey thinking?

The Daily Caller reports.

New Jersey Forces A Mother To Pay Back Student Loans For Her Murdered Child

When Kevin Daniel DeOliveira, 23, was murdered in January, 2015, his mother was suddenly faced with nearly $20,000 in student loans.

At first, Marcia DeOliveira-Longinetti thought the loans would be written off. But after making inquiries with a New Jersey state agency, she received a letter informing her otherwise.

“Please accept our condolences on your loss,” said a letter from the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority. “After careful consideration of the information you provided, the authority has determined that your request does not meet the threshold for loan forgiveness. Monthly statements will continue to be sent to you.”

DeOliveira-Longinetti, who co-signed her son’s loans, was shocked and confused. The federal government had quickly written off her son’s loans, but New Jersey continued to demand its monthly payments of $180, totaling nearly $20,000 over the span of nine years.

“We’re not going to be poor because of this,” she told The New York Times. “But every time I have to pay this thing, I think in my head, this is so unfair.”

New Jersey’s loan program, which currently totals $1.9 billion, is designed to provide students with the stepping stone to a higher education. Students use loans to pay for expensive tuition costs and then later pay back the state through small monthly payments.