Jonicia Clay sought a restraining order just one week before her 4-year-old son was allegedly killed by his father.
PORTLAND, Ore. — The mother of 4-year-old Jhorden Clay tried to regain custody of him in the weeks leading up to his death. The boy’s father, 19-year-old Marquavious Ware, was arrested on a murder charge after Jhorden died May 3 of suspicious injuries.
Ware appeared in a Multnomah County courtroom Friday, where he pleaded not guilty to killing his son.
Security in the courtroom was noticeably tight due to what happened in the moments following Ware’s initial court appearance one week earlier, when his supporters got into a heated confrontation with little Jhorden’s mother and her supporters, prompting deputies to intervene.
“I need justice for my son,” Jonicia Clay said.
Clay said Jhorden had been with her for nearly all of his life, but in early April she let Jhorden visit his dad. Clay said Ware refused to return the child to her, and would only let him talk with her on FaceTime.
“This is the last time I spoke to my son,” Clay said. “I took a FaceTime picture of his face and noticed marks instantly. I called the police. They told me to call non-emergency because it’s his father.”
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