Mario Toliver Jr. was only 14 when he fatally shot his sister, Justice Toliver, on January 23, 2014 at their family home in Oakland, California.
A shooting initially described by police as having occurred during an argument over laundry, his attorney says the facts sussed out during the juvenile prosecution pointed to an accidental shooting instead.
Toliver did not have a trial but instead admitted in Alameda County juvenile court that he committed voluntary manslaughter. He was sentenced to up to 10 years in a California Division of Juvenile Justice facility in the Stockton area on November 5, 2014.
There, he will received therapy and if he does well, he could be released back to his family in as little as two years. His release date is based upon the progress that he makes towards addressing the underlying issues that brought about these unfortunate circumstances.
Toliver had no criminal record before he was charged in the juvenile court with murder with use of a gun and three gun possession counts. However, his school records from the last three years show a history of violence, including an assault on a female student.
He had recently become a father when the shooting occurred, and Justice Toliver had been mother to a 2-year-old toddler.
Mario Toliver fled the home after the shooting and then turned himself into police six days later. He expressed remorse from the beginning to his family and the court regarding the incident and received the full support of his family from the beginning to the end.
The Alameda County District Attorney’s Office declined to comment on the case, citing confidently laws surrounding juvenile defendants.
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