Baltimore County mother tearfully remembers her 4-year-old son at funeral, father facing murder charges
BALTIMORE - A mother said farewell Friday to her 4-year-old son Jacobi Marcelle — a little more than two weeks after police say the child's father shot and killed him inside their apartment in Rosedale, Baltimore County.
Emotional service, A mother's message
Loved ones remembered Marcelle, who was shot on Christmas Eve. His tiny casket sat in the middle of the auditorium at the March Life Tribute Center in Randallstown and had his name in the same font as the 'Jurassic Park' movies with images of dinosaurs, his favorite toys.
"Our bright, beautiful boy who gave us four unforgettable years of love, laughter and brilliance, your presence forever changed us. And although you are not here in body, you will forever love in our hearts," said Reba Sturge on behalf of the family.
Police have also charged Marcelle's father, 30-year-old Mark Jones Junior, with shooting his one-year-old sister Peyton and the children's mother, Promyss Marcelle.
She had the strength to pay tribute to her young son. She described herself as "a bundle of emotion."
"It's crazy this is really my life right now. I lost my son. I could've lost my life, but God kept me here for my daughter, and I'm going to keep going because of my son. Forever Jacobi! Forever my son! I'm going to keep going and going and going until everybody knows my son's name," Promyss Marcell told mourners.
She fought back tears speaking about Jacobi, the inquisitive little boy described in his obituary as "the heart of his family."
"This doesn't feel real to me. Forever my son! I miss my baby, and I love my baby, and I hate that this happened. I don't know how this happened to me, but it happened to me. I hate that this happened and I'm angry," his mother said.
She told WJZ she called the police just hours before she was shot, but because Jones lived in the apartment and officers saw no evidence of violence—and because there was no protective order—there was nothing they could do.
She planned to get a protective order the next day, but by then, it was too late.
Today, she spoke until it became too painful to say anything else. She told the pastor she had to sit down and began to weep.
She told WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren she wanted people to see her young son's funeral to highlight the impact of domestic violence and remember her son's legacy.
Father charged
Mark Jones remains behind bars facing murder and other felony charges that carry a possible life prison sentence.
According to charging documents, Promyss Marcelle was sleeping in her bedroom with the kids. It was just after 6 a.m. at her apartment on Breslin Court.
Jones was sleeping in the children's room.
Police said he came into the room and began arguing.
Four-year-old Jacobi asked him to leave.
That is when police wrote in charging documents, "Jones retrieved a backpack from the closet and removed a handgun. Jones then began to load the handgun magazine with bullets. [Their mother and] children were all in the bed. [The mother] then heard a 'boom' and felt the back of her shirt get wet, and she fell to the floor. She stated Jones then shot her son and then shot himself."
She ran from the apartment to get help.
Charging documents revealed a 911 caller heard Marcelle screaming, "Please don't do it" followed by several gunshots.
Detectives also interviewed the suspect's mother who said she missed a call from her son, and when she called him back on FaceTime, he was bleeding from the face and told her, "I couldn't take it anymore."
Police found a firearm registered to the suspect at the scene. He may be well enough to appear in court later this week, according to an attorney.
A teacher's tribute
Latanya Scott, Jacobi's Pre-K teacher, wept as she remembered his life.
"We both always laughed, and I would always say see you tomorrow 'Dino Boy.' He loved when I called him that," Scott said through tears. "Each day our bond became stronger and stronger."
Scott said she thought of Jacobi as her own son and thanked his mom for sharing him with her.
"Jacobi had a way of making me laugh. He was such a silly boy. I am going to miss his smile," she said.
Family and friends gathered around the hearse, decorated with Jacobi's beloved dinosaurs, as pallbearers took his tiny casket to his final resting place.
Help is available
Anyone dealing with a crisis situation like this who needs resources can call 988 for assistance.
The family thanked the doctors and nurses who treated them at Johns Hopkins Hospital.
"To everyone in Baltimore and beyond who reached out with words of encouragement and prayer for Promyss and Peyton, your kindness has lifted them in ways that you may never know," Sturge said. "You reminded us that even in grief, we are not alone."
