JADA JUSTICE -3 yo - Gary IN

The gruesome details of Jada Justice's death were revealed Friday
when prosecutors charged the 2-year-old girl's cousin and her boyfriend
with murder.

Engelica Castillo, 18, and her live-in boyfriend, Tim Tkachik, 23,
of Hobart, also are charged with two counts of neglect of a dependent,
battery and false informing. Both were being held without bond in the
Lake County, Ind., jail.

Jada's mother, Melissa Swiontek, said Friday that she never thought
Castillo or Tkachik would harm her daughter. Prosecutors said Jada's
body was burned, encased in concrete and left in a LaPorte County
swamp. "They should have the same fate she had, if you ask me,"
Swiontek said.

T. Edward Page, Castillo's attorney, said his client is devastated
by her cousin's death and distraught because she's charged with killing
her.

Police said Jada was already dead when Castillo, her baby-sitter, reported her missing June 16.

In an interview with police the next day, an officer accused
Castillo of lying and held up a picture of Jada. Castillo became angry
and tried to hit the officer, according to reports. "God is taking care
of her," Castillo told police. "God is watching over her."

Tkachik went to a Portage hospital to be treated for burns on June
18, claiming he suffered the injuries when a propane tank blew up,
police said.

Tkachik eventually led police to Jada's body Thursday, according to
court documents. Tkachik told police that Castillo spanked and beat
Jada repeatedly on June 13, causing the girl to hit her head on a
table, according to court documents. At one point, Tkachik told police,
he tried to stop Castillo, but when he couldn't, he went to another
room to watch TV. That night, while they were on their way to buy
heroin, the couple realized that Jada was dead.

Police said the couple returned to their home and put Jada's body
into garbage bags. The next morning, they allegedly tried to burn the
body. When that didn't work, the documents say, Tkachik dumped Jada's
body in a tub and poured concrete over it. The couple drove to a swamp
in LaPorte, where they dumped the concrete slab, the documents said.
Then they returned home, took some heroin, and decided to report
Justice's abduction the next day.

---Poster's note: If it is any consolation at all, Tkachik burned his face badly in his attempt at amateur cremation. Scarred for life, in more ways than one.

EAST CHICAGO -- More than 200 silver and pink balloons rose into the summer sky Saturday in memory of 2-year-old Jada Justice.
"I
feel peace and sadness, both," whispered Melissa Swiontek, Jada's
mother, as she wiped tears from her eyes and watched the balloons
shrink into dots in the sky and disappear.The search for Justice gripped the region for 10 days and ended
Thursday when her body was found in a remote, swampy area of LaPorte
County. Lake County prosecutors Friday charged Swiontek's cousin
Engelica Castillo, 18, and Castillo's boyfriend, Tim Tkachik, 23, both
of Hobart, with the child's murder.

Just before the balloon launch, amongst hugs and words of support,
Swiontek said Castillo and Tkachik asked her if Justice could stay with
them for a two-week "fun stay."

She also denied reports that she was under investigation by the Department of Child Services.

"They were definitely there for support and for anything they could
do to help," Swiontek said of the Child Services visits to her house.
"There is no investigation, and they didn't question the kids or search
the house or anything like that."

Swiontek said she told her four surviving children of Justice's
death Friday morning. At her request, family members hid any
information on the search for Justice at all costs from the children
until she could break the news to them that the search was over.

"If I couldn't be there with them at the time, I didn't want them to
know," Swiontek said. "We talked about Jada and looked at pictures and
made Jada boxes with things to remember her, and we said she's in
heaven, a place where we all hope to be someday."

Swiontek said she has not talked to any of Castillo's family members yet and she felt unsure if she was ready to hear from them.

"I think they're being so protective just prolonged the search and finding Jada," Swiontek said.

Justice's three siblings wore T-shirts bearing her picture and the
words "World's Greatest Sister," as they ran around with other kids in
Tod Park, where a grill and tents were set up to feed the guests.

"My favorite thing about Jada was the way she smiled at me," said
Celeste Albanice, 10, Justice's oldest sister. "She smiled like there
was no tomorrow."

Jada's father, Clarence Justice, said his faith in God, his family
and the Calvary Tabernacle Church in Griffith helped him survive the
ordeal of searching for his daughter.

"For the past two weeks, I've been running so I haven't been able to
really cry about the situation," he said before the balloon launch,
choking back tears. "I'm gonna miss everything about her."

Jada's stepgrandmother Elizabeth Ortega, of East Chicago, said she
was devastated by Jada Justice's death and called her "a very joyful
little girl."

"I just feel like she's up there grabbing each balloon as they float
by," Ortega said of Jada. "It's a very touching moment. We're gonna
miss her."

Simon Olivares, also of East Chicago, said he didn't know Jada
Justice, but he felt compelled to have a large, purple banner made
reading "Justice For Jada. Our sincere condolences to the friends and
family of Jada."

The banner was strung across a collapsible shelter before a small pile of stuffed animals, toys and flowers.

"I felt so bad when I heard the news, it was like a part of me was gone," he said.

CROWN POINT | Lake County police had to use a stun gun Monday morning
on one of the two adults now charged with the murder of 2-year-old Jada
Justice.

Tim Tkachik, 24, of Hobart, appeared for his initial
hearing Monday morning with his head bandaged and a prominent bruise on
his left cheek.

Michael Higgins, a spokesman for county police,
said Tkachik became disruptive in a holding cell shortly before the
court session. "He got up on a table and was trying to get into an
electrical panel. He was asked nicely to get down and when he didn't
they had to use a Tazer," Higgins said.

Higgins said jail medical staff tended to Tkachik's injuries arising from the incident.

His 18-year-old girlfriend, Engelica Castillo, also of Hobart was visibly
trembling during the court session as she stood a few feet from Tkachik
and heard they both were being charged with neglecting, battering and
murdering Jada on June 13 as well as being charged with lying to police
in their effort to cover up the crime.

The girl's disappearance sparked a nine-day search by family, friends and members of the public caught up in the drama.

Lake Criminal Court Magistrate Natalie Bakota entered innocent pleas on
behalf of Tkachik and Castillo's and said they will be held without
bond until trial.

Merrillville attorney T. Edward Page, who
represented Castillo's family last week, patted Castillo's shoulder in
an effort to comfort her during the hour-long session.

Police say Jada's mother, Melissa Swiontek, left the child with Castillo June
8 for an extended period. Castillo and Swiontek are cousins. Police
allege Castillo fatally beat the victim after becoming angry with her.

She and Tkachik tried to dispose of the body by burning it. Tkachik said he
only suceeded in burning himself. They finally encased the child in
concrete and dumped her in a swamp north of Westville in LaPorte County
near Tkachik's family home. Tkachik directed police to the place where
they recovered the body last week.

Castillo told police that someone abducted Jada from her car June 16 while it was parked outside
a Glen Park service station in Gary.

Tkachik, who initially agreed with Castillo's story, later told police that his girlfriend
killed the girl. Tkachik said he and Castillo were using heroin and
marijuana throughout the period leading up and after Jada's death.

Tkachik briefly disrupted the court session Monday as the magistrate was
questioning Castillo about whether she could afford a private lawyer or
needed a court-appointed attorney who would defend her a taxpayer
expense.

Castillo said she cannot afford to retain Page in the
future. Bakota said the Lake County Public Defender's staff will
appoint a new attorney to represent her.

As the magistrate was questioning Castillo about her lack of income, Tkachik said Castillo
wasn't disclosing all her family's income. "You get child support. She
gets child support," Tkachik said.

A source close to the family said Castillo doesn't have children and that Tkachik is referring to
child support Castillo's mother is owed.

The magistrate warned Tkachik not to interrupt her or Castillo. She repeatedly told Tkachik
to pay attention to her and not talk about other matters.

Tkachik said he plans to hire his own lawyer.

Page said her defense will require more financial resources then her family
can afford. Page said he may assist the public defender's staff in her
case at some future date if asked.

The magistrate ordered both to appear in Criminal Court next week for the beginning of a series
pre-trial hearing. No trial date has been set.

PORTAGE | Visitation and funeral arrangements for slain Portage
2-year-old Jada Justice are scheduled for noon to 2 p.m. Friday at
Edmonds and Evans Funeral Home Portage Chapel.

Following her 2 p.m. funeral at the chapel, 6941 Central Ave., Jada will be buried in
Portage's Heritage Cemetery, the funeral home reported.

The Portage toddler was found dead Thursday in a remote field near Otis,
Ind., after a nine-day, nationally publicized search for the girl.

The girl's baby sitter and cousin, Engelica Castillo, and Castillo's
boyfriend, Timothy Tkachik, were charged with her murder in the girl's
death last week.

The couple are accused of dumping the girl's
body, encased in concrete, on June 15 into a LaPorte County swamp, only
after a failed attempt at burning her body to destroy evidence from the
previous day.

They realized the girl was dead while en route to
buy heroin on June 13, hours after Castillo beat the girl in her head,
prosecutors allege.

On June 16, in an apparent ruse to cover
their tracks, Castillo reported the toddler missing from the Glen Park
Gas Station in Gary, blocks from Castillo's Hobart home, police and
court records allege.

CROWN POINT | Lake County Prosecutor Bernard Carter said Tuesday his
office is undertaking a death penalty review against two defendants
charged with the murder of 2-year-old Jada Justice.

The prosecutor's office on Friday charged Engelica Castillo, 18, and her
boyfriend, Tim Tkachik, 24, both of Hobart, with the murder of the
Portage toddler. Tkachik told police Jada died after a June 13 beating
administered by Castillo, according to reports. Tkachik helped Castillo
dispose of the body in a LaPorte County swamp, authorities said.

Carter said state law permits him to file a capital murder charge in a case
where the victim was younger than 12, but he and his top deputies first
must survey the evidence to determine if the case merits the ultimate
punishment.

"We are still going through a lot of information. A
lot of the physical evidence is being examined by our experts. That all
has to be assessed before any decision as to a potential death
penalty," he said.

Jada's mother, Melissa Swiontek, said Tuesday she supports a death penalty case.

"If that's the court's decision, I'm not going to oppose it," she said.

Swiontek said before her daughter was killed, she used to be against the death
penalty. But she has since changed her mind, she said, "when it comes
down to your baby."

She said she has no remorse for her cousin or Tkachik, saying "They're not even human ... if they can do that to my Jada.

"My baby's gone. They broke my heart. They have no right to be on this earth, if you ask me."

Lake County Deputy Chief Public Defender David Olson said Tuesday a death
penalty charge will affect his office, which will be defending Castillo.

"We are just waiting for the state to decide," Olson said.

He said he would have to request additional tax dollars from the County
Council if the prosecutor does go for the death penalty, which usually
costs hundreds of thousands of dollars in additional law fees,
expert-witness fees and other extraordinary expenses. He said his
office will appoint two lawyers to defend Castillo if a capital murder
charge is filed.

Olson said, "The question is whether the county can afford it? I don't know. It's very expensive."

Tkachik said Monday he may hire his own lawyer, although court sources said few
private lawyers have the resources to undertake a death penalty murder
defense.

Olson said a cheaper option for the county would be for
the prosecutor to pursue a sentence of life imprisonment without
possibility of parole.

Lake and Porter County judges have sentenced more than 23 men and women to death since capital murder was reinstated in 1977, but only one has been executed.

Kevin Charles Isom, 42, is awaiting trial later this fall on capital murder
charges he killed his wife and her two children Aug. 6, 2007, at the
Lakeshore Dunes Apartments in Gary's Miller section.

PORTAGE -- After her short life tragically ended in abuse,
2-year-old Jada Justice was laid to rest Friday afternoon, and
remembered for what she gave.
At the outdoor funeral at
Edmonds and Evans Funeral Home, Jada's father, Clarence Justice of
Hammond, said his daughter provided "two years of nothing but love."The Portage toddler was buried in a small, white casket at Heritage Cemetery, next to the funeral home.
"She gave me the strength to start loving again," her father said after the burial service.
Reported missing last month in a case that gripped the region, Jada
was found dead after a massive search effort in which her face was
splashed across fliers and on television screens.
Melissa Swiontek, Jada's mother, said at the funeral that it was obvious her daughter touched a lot of lives.
"It's beautiful," Swiontek said of the funeral service, held under a
yellow-and-white striped tent. "I'm glad a lot of people came and
showed support."
Approximately 300 mourners gathered around as the Rev. Craig Harper conceded the world can be "a cruel place," but offered hope.
"God's with you," said the pastor at Calvary Tabernacle Church of Griffith. "Mom, Dad -- God's with you in this time."
With pink and white balloons and teddy bears brightening up the grounds, Harper said Jada is a vibrant symbol.
"She is a portrait of what love is," Harper assured. "She taught you the power of love."
Elizabeth Justice, Jada's stepmother, said the girl had "a beautiful attitude."
Jada found happiness "playing dress-up," watching movies and
"hangin' with the girls," said April Soria, a close friend of Jada and
her mother.
"There will never be another person like Jada; she was so original," said Soria, a 28-year-old Lake Station resident.
Mourners found comfort in spoken tributes to Jada, which included a spiritual declaration: "You are in God's hands now."
Photographs, a poster and a video screen showed warm images of Jada.
Charged with murdering the girl are her cousin, Engelica Castillo,
18, and Timothy Tkachik, 23, both of Hobart. They are also charged with
neglect of a dependent, battery and false informing.
Jada's body was found June 25 near Otis, along Snyder Road, west of U.S. 421. The girl had numerous fractures on her skull.
Her body had been burned and encased in concrete before being left in a LaPorte County swamp.
Castillo and Tkachik had been baby-sitting Jada. Authorities said the suspects used drugs during that time.
Alejandra Gonzalez, who attended Friday's funeral service, said there was a message in Jada's death.
"You can't really trust your kids with anybody," the 29-year-old
East Chicago resident said, noting that she knows Jada's father.
"It's just messed up that it happened to a really nice guy," Gonzalez said.

Prosecutors are seeking a DNA sample from a Hobart couple charged
with murder in the beating death of 2-year-old Jada Justice of Portage.
Timothy
John Tkachik, 22, appeared Tuesday before Lake Superior Court Judge
Thomas Stefaniak Jr., who found him indigent and appointed a public
defender. Tkachik's formal appearance with attorney Herbert Shaps is
July 17.Deputy prosecutors Michelle Jatkiewicz and Jamise Perkins are
seeking a DNA sample to compare to evidence collected in the case
against Tkachik and Engelica Elisa Castillo.

Castillo and Tkachik are charged with murder, neglect of a dependent, battery and misdemeanor false informing.

Jada Justice, who would have turned 3 in August, suffered numerous skull fractures, court records state.

Castillo told Hobart police her cousin, Melissa Swiontek, dropped
her daughter off at the couple's rental home in the 3900 block of
Missouri Street on June 8 for a two-week stay.

On June 16, Castillo reported to Gary police Jada was taken from an
unlocked 1991 Fleetwood Cadillac while she ran inside the Glen Park gas
station, 1401 E. Ridge Road, for a gallon of milk, but witnesses said
they saw no one go near the car after Castillo got out.

In a statement to police, Tkachik said Castillo spanked Jada several times during her stay.

Castillo had been angry at Jada on June 13 and was spanking her and pulling her hair, court records state.

Tkachik told police he and Castillo left about 7 p.m. to buy heroin
in Porter County and realized Jada wasn't breathing once they got on
the highway.

Tkachik led authorities to the girl's body, found encased in cement in a swampy area near Otis on June 25.

VALPARAISO -- The father of Jada Justice will ask a judge to give him custody of her two brothers.

Clarence Justice said he and his wife can provide a safe home for the boys, ages
6 and 1, who are his children with Jada's mother, Melissa Swiontek.
Swiontek's cousin, Engelica Castillo, is charged with murder and
neglect of a dependent for allegedly hitting 2-year-old Jada in the
head and causing the toddler's death.

Swiontek left Jada with Castillo, 18, and Castillo's boyfriend, Tim Tkachik, for several days while Swiontek went on a trip.

Clarence Justice, who was never married to Swiontek, said he took
care of Jada and her two brothers on alternate weekends and hopes to
gain full custody of the boys at an emergency hearing Wednesday in
Porter County Juvenile Court.

"I just feel my boys are safer in my arms than with anybody else,"
Clarence Justice said. "I'm working steady, they have a stay-at-home
stepmom to look after them."

The Post-Tribune was unable to reach Swiontek. who has said she wanted harsh punishment for her cousin.

Prosecutors said Tkachik told them Swiontek left Jada with them June
8. Four days later he saw Castillo rapping Jada on the head with her
knuckles because the girl was being potty trained. Several hours later,
Jada appeared to stop breathing as the toddler sat in the back of their
car as the couple drove to buy heroin. The couple later made a bungled
attempt to burn Jada's body, then tried to seal the body in concrete
and dump it in a LaPorte County swamp.

Castillo then told police Jada was taken or crawled out of her car
while Castillo was buying milk and cigarettes at a Glen Park gas
station, touching off an eight-hour search for the girl that ended as
police became increasingly suspicious

Tkachik also has been charged in Jada's murder.

On Wednesday, the father of slain 2-year-old Jada Justice was awarded custody of the two sons he had with her mother, Melissa Swiontek.Swiontek’s cousin, Engelica Castillo,
is charged with the murder of Jada. Castillo is accused of murdering
the little girl and then she and her boyfriend, Tim Tkachik, attempted
to dispose of the body. Tkachik is also charged with murder.Swiontek
had left Jada in her cousin’s care when she took a trip out of town.
After Wednesday’s hearing, she said that Jada’s father, Clarence
Justice, would only have custody of the boys for the summer pending
another court hearing and that she retains partial custody. She
noted that the separation will be hard on her sons, ages 6 and 1, who
have already suffered from the loss of their sister. “They’re doing
better than I expected. We talk abut Jada and try to do fun things,
like look at her pictures. We still go out and try to do family things.”