Community

Finding “Justice” in the Wake of a Family’s Tragedy

Published

11 years ago

February 14, 2014

Imagine how parents feel losing both of their children in the matter of seconds. That’s what the family of Justice and Mario Toliver has to confront.

Justice, 17, was shot and killed by her 14-year-old brother, Mario, on Jan. 23. She died leaving behind a two -year-old daughter and a host of family and friends stunned and in mourning.

Justice Toliver. 17. was killed by her brother January 23rd.

Nearly a week after the shooting, Mario turned himself into police and has since been charged in juvenile court with murder and other gun related charges.

The family had to pull itself together to lay the young girl to rest. Last Friday, hundreds of mourners gathered at First AME Oakland to pay their final respects.

Mario was allowed to attend his sister’s funeral service, which meant he was escorted and allowed to spend some time alone with her body before the service.

Rev. Dr. Harold R. Mayberry, who accompanied the young boy to McNary Williams & Jackson Mortuary last Friday morning, said police officers had blocked off the street for the young man’s visitation.

Mario was in emotional turmoil as he looked at his sister in the casket, struggling to

Mario Toliver Jr.

grasp the reality of his action, said Mayberry.

In the face of a family tragedy of this magnitude, community members are saying they understand how the reality of the situation could be overwhelming and incomprehensible for such a young boy.

Rev. Eltyna McCree attended the funeral to support the family. She says regardless of what occurred, the love Mario had for his sister will not go away, despite the horrendous situation and circumstances.

“This is his flesh and blood no matter what,” she said. “I can’t imagine that it was intentional.”

Now that Justice has been laid to rest, the family will undergo an intense court battle to find out the legal consequences for Mario and what the rest of his life could entail.

According to the young boy’s attorney Adante Pointer, the family still embraces Mario, noting there aren’t any winners in this situations.

According to Pointer, police said his client has made statements saying the shooting was an accident, and given that the people most affected – his family members – have forgiven him, it seems that the young man will be punished for the sake of what society thinks should be the punishment.

Some are saying that Mario should be given treatment rather than punishment.

“Where’s justice in this sense?” said Pointer. “Our hope is that the court takes into count, all the factors that led this 14-year-old boy to be in this predicament in his life.”

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Up Next

Movie Reviews: ‘Winter’s Tale’ & ‘About Last Night’

Don't Miss

Tagami in Default on $12 Million City Loan

Oakland Post

Click to comment

Activism

Oakland Post: Week of January 15 – 21, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of January 15 – 21, 2025

Published

2 days ago

January 17, 2025

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Activism

Oakland Post: Week of January 8 – 14, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of January 8 – 14, 2025

Published

1 week ago

January 11, 2025

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

#NNPA BlackPress

Supreme Court Decision Confirms Convicted Felon Will Assume Presidency

NNPA NEWSWIRE — In a 5-4 ruling, the court stated that Trump’s concerns could “be addressed in the ordinary course on appeal” and emphasized that the burden of sentencing was “relatively insubstantial” given that Trump will not face prison time. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined the court’s three liberal justices in the majority, with four conservative justices dissenting.

Published

1 week ago

January 10, 2025

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected President-elect Donald Trump’s emergency request to block criminal proceedings in his New York hush money case, ensuring that a sentencing hearing will proceed as scheduled on Friday. The decision makes it official that, on January 20, for the first time in its history, the United States will inaugurate a convicted felon as its president.

In a 5-4 ruling, the court stated that Trump’s concerns could “be addressed in the ordinary course on appeal” and emphasized that the burden of sentencing was “relatively insubstantial” given that Trump will not face prison time. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined the court’s three liberal justices in the majority, with four conservative justices dissenting.

Trump was convicted in May for falsifying business records related to a $130,000 payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg argued that the Supreme Court lacked jurisdiction to intervene in a state criminal case, particularly before all appeals in state courts were exhausted.

Trump’s legal team claimed the sentencing process would interfere with his transition to power and argued that evidence introduced during the trial included official actions protected under the Supreme Court’s prior ruling granting former presidents immunity for official conduct. Merchan, the New York judge who presided over the trial, ruled in December that the evidence presented was unrelated to Trump’s duties as president.

Prosecutors dismissed Trump’s objections, stating that the sentencing would take less than an hour and could be attended virtually. They said the public interest in proceeding to sentencing outweighed the President-elect’s claims of undue burden.

Justice Samuel Alito, one of the four dissenting justices, confirmed speaking to Trump by phone on Wednesday. Alito insisted the conversation did not involve the case, though the call drew criticism given his previous refusals to recuse himself from politically sensitive matters.

The sentencing hearing is set for Friday at 9:30 a.m. in Manhattan. As the nation moves closer to an unprecedented inauguration, questions about the implications of a convicted felon assuming the presidency remain.

“No one is above the law,” Bragg said.