A 15-year-old Oakland boy has been sentenced to juvenile detention after admitting to voluntary manslaughter in the fatal shooting of his older sister, that a cousin originally said was over laundry, his lawyer told the Oakland Tribune.
Adante Pointer told the newspaper that his client, whom NBC Bay Area is not naming because he is a minor. was sentenced this week to up to 10 years, though he could be released to his family in as little as two years. He was originally charged with murder and gun possession.
The Alameda County District Attorney's Office declined to comment on the case, citing confidently laws surrounding juvenile defendants.
Police said the boy opened fire on his 17-year-old sister, Justice Toliver, at their apartment on Webster Street in Chinatown on Jan. 23. because she had bleached his laundry. A cousin, 22-year-old Marianna Gaston of Oakland, said she was told that the boy shot Justice because he was mad that she had bleached his clothes.
Later, another cousin, Greg Stewart, told NBC Bay Area he wasn't sure why Mario killed his sister, but insisted it "wasn't over laundry."
Stewart also said at the time that both the boy and Justice were stressed, and said the boy had a baby, who was less than a year old at the time of the shooting.
Pointer told the Tribune the shooting was accidental, and reiterated it had nothing to do with laundry.
The boy fled before turning himself into police six days later.
Pointer told the Tribune his client has expressed remorse and been supported by his family.
