This is the FCD Podcast Network. Welcome to a special edition of The out Laws. This is Darvey O to kingpen Morrow. We're going to get right into it because it's that important. As you see, we've opened the show differently. This is what they call a cold open because we want to get right to it. We were able to record an interview that Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael Maalley conducted with a woman by the name of Melissa Jones. And Melissa's son was murdered. He was under the age eighteen. It's just a sad, sad situation, and I think it's important to bring her perspective as a mother who had to bury her young child. I think it's important to bring her perspective to the table so people can hear and understand where she's coming from and hear the process of what she went through. And you know, let me tell you, this is a gut wrenching our interview. You know, there are times where it is just it's heartbreaking to hear what she's had to endure. But you know, it's very important. I think people need to hear it because these are the stories that no one ever hears. You rarely hear from the perspective of the victims when we're talking about issues of criminal justice and things like that. And the perspective of the victims is important too, And so we're going to get to part one of that interview right now. You know, we had talked earlier, talked several days ago about tragic gloss yours on JAMII and how certainly it's impacted your life, and but you've are a really unique position because you've seen the criminal justice system from both sides. First of all, why don't you tell us about the day that you lost Jamori through senseless violence, you know, in our county, for really no reason, and how that's impacted your life from that point forward. It was December fourteen, twenty twenty. I talked to JAMAI like around four o'clock that day. I worked third shift, so he called me when I got up, and he was actually at my sister's house because of COVID and he's been staying over there. And how well was he? He was thirteen thirteen, Yeah, And I told him that I would see him when I got over there to drop my daughter off. And I got over there at seven, a little bit after seven to drop her off so I can go to work. I had to be at work at eight o'clock, and I didn't even think to ask my sister anything like I thought they were in a basement playing video games. And so I proceeded to go to work, and I get a phone call at eight twenty at work, eight twenty two exactly, I can still remember the time from my youngest daughter, who was eight at the time, and she said, Mommy, something bad happened at Tremarian. I. So I called my sister and I asked my sister. I said, I don't wanna use the language I used. I said, where's my son or what is going on? Where's where's my f and son? And her response was good to Metro. Now, I s didn't know what happened. I I didn't know that my son was shot and killed. I didn't know none of that. They was just rushing me to get to Metro. And when I got to Metro, there was five homicides that I can standing there and they put us in a room and I started asking all different types of questions on whose mother was who and this, and and then they proceeded to tell me that that my son was shot and killed, that he was shot in his head and then he didn't make it so and it was just I was in shock at first, and I just told him, like, no, you just didn't tell me my son was dead. And I demanded it that they take me to see my son, like I'm gonna see my son now. You didn't tell me my son was dad, And like I'm I don't believe that. Take me to my son now. And it just like I I was just in a state of shock. I'm not gonna lie. The the hospital room got destroyed a little bit because like I'm am staying of shock and I was angry. Tomorrow was my youngest son. He was thirteen and I only had two sons and they were born a day apart, and life's been very hard. You have to learn to adjust knowing that your child is never coming back, and that you'll never see them, you will never be able to raise them or see their accomplishments, or you wake up every day and knowing that's the first thing you got on your mind. Especially it's been three years and that's still like the first thing from when I wake up. So I go to bed, the screaming, like not understanding why why it happened, or why it was him. It's it's like a mental fight every day with yourself. You don't wanna believe your son, your your child is dead at first, and that went on for a while, even through. My brother called me to me, he said, you gotta decide what you wanna do, and I said, I'm not doing anything cause my son's not dead. I didn't wanna believe he was dead. And he said, you gotta decide what you wanna do, and if you wanna bury him, I said, no, my son's coming home. So the most horrific thing is to see your son, especially that young laying in a casket, lifeless, and knowing that would be the last they ever see him again. So it's been a very bad impact went mental health with me. If I I can have my ups and downs and I'll just you know, also half to tell my son. I have a son that's an odys he's been there t months before my son was murdered. Actually he was arrested ten months before my son was murdered. And I have a son there doing juvenile life. To have to tell my son on the phone that his little brother died and that explained to him and knowing when he comes home he'll never see his brother again. How how many years apart were they They were two and a half, like very similar age. Yeah, I had born a dead party. So you've seen the system from both sides, yes, hm, Yes, And tragically you've seen it from both sides, cause really you've got a son who now is gonna be twenty, he's gonna be twenty twenty, he'll gonna be encorretrated it through how a department of Youth services til he's twenty and you've lost to thirteen year old child. He'll be there to twenty one, and you've seen a you've lost your thirteen year old child forever. And so that you're in a very unique situation that you have seen the system from both sides. And I don't know that there's a type of matter of fact, you're the only parent I know that have seen the system from both sides. And it's hard because I can't even imagine to begin to lose a child. But your other child, who is an odys I think the best you can hope for that as he's learned and he makes himself a better man than when he went in right, and do you think that's happening. Yes, there's you know, and we're not going used to We're not go visit him. And especially during COVID when they started opening visits and stuff back up, they would always like, thanks for coming. And I was there faithfully, like every weekend to see my son because he's my only son I have left now. I only had two sons and I lost both of 'em within ten months, apart one temporarily and then one permanently. A lot of these kids in juvenile they don't care because their their parents or family members aren't accept phone calls from them, they don't come and see them, they don't have visitors, so it's this is h th. They adapt to living like this from being outside t in there and it they have no care in the world. Some of them, it does rehabilitate. Maybe it's from the households that they come from, or they just don't wanna do it no more. But in order to better yourself, you're gonna wanna cha change. You're gonna have to change, you know, or it's gonna be a revolving door for you, or it's gonna be death. Did you understand when you lost your son. Did you understand the bindover process the individuals who shot and killed your son? I? Yes, am sixteen and seventeen. I did because my son, who was fifteen at the time when he was arrested, he was arrested for attempted murder and I had to go through a buying over process four days after my son was murdered for him. So I understood it and how it proceeds. Yes, was it your desire for the individuals who murdered your son? Was at your desire that they be bowled over and tried as adults for the homicide of your son? Jami? Yes, I don't Phil sixteen sixteen and I believe it was sixteen and seventeen or maybe uh sixteen. I think one was fifteen and one was sixteen. When they committed a crime. At that age, you know right from law, you know what you're doing, and you knew what you were doing when you lured them down there. You lured them down there and applotted in aggravated robbery, So you knew when you fired that gun, whether you thought it hit somebody or not, you knew what you would do. You was old enough to understand you're old enough to know right from wrong, and if you wanna commit a crime such as Hannis as that, then you're old enough to be tried as an adult. This has been going on for years. Why are they trying to stop it now? Are they a victim of a violent crime? Have they've had their child murdered? Have they have had a family member murdered or a family member in my situation to where I have a child that was thirteen years old, they had his whole life. I had him. I'm still and he's that from from a gunshow the back of the head and an exit out of his face, and we wasn't even aware of that til we got to the funeral and seeing that, Yes, so for what I've endured and my children have endured, and to know that their sibling is the youngest boy at that is gone is like, you know it, it's hard. I have kids in counseling. I've had kids that turned to alcoholism. Yeah, I have grandchildren that doesn't will never even know him, because I just had a grandson that will be a year in March. We'll never even get to know him. Like, it's it's not easy. It's it's it's a process. You just over time, you just learn to live with a little bit more. But the pain and the stabbing, like it never goes away. Okay, you know, but yeah, I can tell you listen, you will be living with that pain. I'm sure the rest of your life is will Jamorrowi's siblings m and While he will be talked about and his memorable memory will always be a positive thought in your minds, the realities is that victims of crime, like yourself, just wanna seek justice. And you know, I know, Carson are a prosecutor on this particular case at a tremendous job. I'm trying to fight for your family and to fight for Jamori, and I wish I could bring him back, and sadly we can't. But all we can try to do is stop the next JAMII from being the victim of a homicide, especially at the young age age of thirteen, which is really inconceivable. My understanding in this particular case, they had already given up all their possessions and that they were driving away from being robbed when the gunshot went off and struck your son in the back of the head. And it's inconceivable why after somebody would rob somebody and they're fling the area. Why somebody would find the desire to fire a senseless shot into an autobile that had just people leaving the scene, a car of victims leaving the scene. And I just want to thank you, first of all, offer my condolences. Again, I know you are in constant contact with people from our office, and like I said, you've seen it from both sides. You've got a son who you told me is doing really well in odys He's got a welding degree, he's went to college, he's taken college classes. So I'm optimistic that when he comes out going to have a son who's not the same person he went in. And I absolutely convinced that he will do and make you proud when he returns home. And again, I just want to offer my condolences to your family. I want to thank you for coming here today because you've been able to express a situation that few people have ever endured. And again, you've seen it from both sides, so you understand the pain that goes with being a victim as well as being the parent of an individual who was bound over and again, my goal and my hope is that when he's there, he comes out a better man and buy all accounts he is And so again I just want to thank you for coming. Thank you. I just want to say it is though my son doesn't have a voice, and so I have to be his voice. And not only that why they're trying to stop mind overs. Once they passed that bill, juveniles cannot do it life sentence, so maybe they'll think twice about trying to stop it. The boy will killed my son comes home in two thousand and forty one. He gets to come home. So it's just like the justice system did their job, Yes they did, but still he gets He gets to walk freight while my son is this eased and doesn't have life no more. Well, thank you for telling that, because people are gonna hear this and they're gonna understand the pain with which your family will burden forever. I know that one day he'll walk out of person because with the Son of bill that was passed, what is it, two fifty six, juveniles cannot do a life sentence. So with that bill being passed, he walks out two thousand forty one, if not with the Rogan Toolks Act two thousand forty three or four, he comes home, so one day he gets to walk freight And when your daughter who you indicate your daughter wants to be a law enforcement officer US Marshall and she wants to be a US Marshall. And if there's anything I can do to help or try to achieve that goal, I'd be happy to do it. And if she wants to shadow a US Marshal, I'd be happy to see if I can make that happen. But I think that would be a really great note and something positive for your family to really the fact that your daughter is now motivated to become a US Marshal, I think would be a wonderful story. Yes, she was already doing criminal justice major before my son was murdered. She was in college. She had to drive back from college that night, and she changed her major once my son was murdered, and she wanted to be a US Marshall and did the FBI program with them. So stay tuned, we have more to come. We'll be right back. Welcome back. We're going to get to part two of this special interview. And I'm so grateful to everybody involved that we were able to capture this this is obviously some powerful and important stuff. So as we go into part two of the interview, Melissa was asked about the possibility at the time of the person who murdered her son being able to plead to juvenile life instead of being bound over and tried as an adult, and she gives her reaction on how she felt about the possibility of that when we go to it, that's what you will hear her responding to we're going to go to that right now? Absolutely not, because you're sixteen years old and you took my thirteen year old son's life and you would all away in five years. And it's just like, basically to me, you get away with it, are you gonna go commit it again when you come home. It's not enough time, Like to me, honestly, even prison's not enough time. Like, you know, you get to wake up every day, you get to call your family, you get to he he you get the ha ha, you know, and on the other side, the other family suffers that loses their child, and it's just like, we know what the judge that he had she was very iffy about what she does with her cases, and it made me angry because if that was the way it would have took. It was just it it's just not acceptable. A life was taken here, and I mean it took my son's life. And for him to even think about having to sit down and an odys to the age of twenty one and then just to get the rock now, and it's just it's furious, and it it's really furious. They go to odys and they come home within a couple of months they're dead or they committed murders. There's been a child down in juvenile I believe that was let go at the age twelve years old on an ankle monitor, cut the ankle bracelet off and was involved in two homicides. So they are starting young. It's certainly in society that they they they have no they have no remorse, they don't care. Have forty one juveniles last year and in two thousand twenty three f forty one juvenile's church with aggravated murder murder. But what is causing this? Like? What what is what? What is causing this for kids to do this? What what has turned so dramatically probably like in the past five years for kids to be this reckless? Why? Yeah, why you know s sadly, last year too, we had thirty one juveniles who were the victims of homicide, you know, below the age of eighteen. It's thirty one children, juveniles lost their lives, and it's it's terrible. There's more juveniles committing more crimes than probably more adults right now. And it's just I hate to say this that I'm a mother seven. They're reckless. They have no care in the world nowadays, none at all. They just they don't care from committing from the car jaggings to the aggrabay robberies to the murders. Like I just said, a twelve year old committed too, how many fives after he was letting go. It's it's just ridiculous. I don't know a couple of juveniles that have came home and has ended up de ceased from od wyas. They've been deceased, yes, within a couple of months of them even being really because they're back out here doing the same thing all over again. The one who shot my son, I still remember what he said, and he says, I'm sorry for your loss. I just wanna move forward. That was that was his I'm sorry for your loss. I just wanna move forward. I'm sorry for your loss. I wanna move forward. That's what he said. That's what he said. The other one. I'm gonna be honest. I wasn't allowed to stay in the courtroom. I got kicked out. Actually I got kicked out on two court occasions. It's not funny, but I mean your emotions, like you know, your job as a mother's to protect and nourish and to teach and to protect your kids. And I'm gonna say this, I haven't always and I'm gonna go on the record for this too with you. I've been in the courtrooms plenty of times. I changed my life, you know, before this even happened with my son. And how disrespectful those children are. And you can ask Cerson it it starts with the parenting. Neither one. I I don't know what his statement was before the second one was sentenced. I got kicked out of the courtroom. And but the mother was just she he had no chance of life in it, and I hate to say that some of these kids don't. And it's it's sad. I just couldn't sit there and just let my child be like everything be downgraded. And I was furious. I was you know, my m emotions were going. It was like my heart was beating fast like I I just I I couldn't take it no more, I j I just couldn't. So the second one, I did get kicked out before the seven scene, and I did try to go after the mother because I heard Dr roger story remarks. So it was like, you know, but and I see somebody, these kids ain't got a chance of life. They just don't because of the parents eves that I have. So we've got to s They've got to start with that too. And look, you know, and I feel like if people are trying to stop this, why don't you come and where's the activities for these kids? Why don't the communities start with that first? Where's the activities? Where's something for them to do besides social media? Right? And do you think social media has had a lot I need I think they need to take it away completely. I think they needed to take it away. Do you think that really influences the general I think that's where it started from. Be honest with you, I think that's exactly where it started from. You you set the these kids gotta go on there? And I prove a point to somebody, it's all you see on there is you know, guns, guns, guns, guns, guns, guns. These kids, that's all you see or what they're gonna do. And they're gonna do the you know. It's it's like once got out do the other one. And this is where it stems from. I believe it is social media. Right, None of this ever s started until they brung social media. And and I believe ig is the worst. Yeah, and I think I think it just become glamorized. Oh yeah, it's I There is a after my son passed away. I can't remember the name of it, but it was about a girl in Chicago and she was a straight A student and under the sun she wa she was on the right path. She got into social media and I believe she had seventeen bodies by the time she was killed at the age of seventeen years old. So you know what I'm talking about. It's the rush of social media, is what it is. It it they get the cloud, they chase the cloud out is what they do. It's a cloud chasing thing. You have some people that's an adult system prison and we're just gonna say this. They're in there recording themselves in the adults prisons and putting it on social media because they're chasing the clouds. This is what they're doing. So if you sent a juvenile into odys and let them come home, they're still gonna chase that clock because social media is still gonna be it's it's not gonna change it an interesting perspective. Well, I can tell you I do believe it affects it. But I just want to thank you for coming. Her story is certainly unique amongst the cases we've had. Sadly, we are seeing too many juveniles losing their life and we're also seeing too many juveniles taking lives. And you know, I am It's interesting. Was Mark Zuckerberger was in front of Congress yesterday and they were really battering him for the used to especially juveniles who were receiving whether it's being harassed or become victims of sexual assault or violence, and what they're doing or not doing to stop it. And it was an interesting dialogue yesterday in Washington. And we'll see how that ends up. But I agree with you completely. I do believe social media is a huge part of the problem. Can I say this, though my son was murdered of her Instagram. If it wasn't for Instagram being there, the whole setup was through Instagram. The whole setup was set up through Instagram. That's terrible. Well, thank you, thank you for coming. Appreciate it. One more time. I just want to say thank you to Prosecutor Michae O'Malley. Of course, thank you to Melissa Jones. Condolences once again to her and her family and everybody that was impacted by the loss of her son, and just just a horrific, horrific incident. And you know I'll be praying for her and her family. All right, Thank you for listening. We'll see you next time. Peace. This has been a presentation of the FCB podcast Network, where Real Talk Lives. Visit us online at fcbpodcasts dot com.
