European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - November 4, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse Daily a Magazine Uncle standing by Nephew accused of murdering parents brother family ties . Kominicki staff writer Bobby Justice finds it hard to believe that his brother John his brother s Wile Mary and their son Mark Are . And that the couple s eldest so has confessed to the killings. The grisly slayings took place sept. 16 in Kenmore a suburb of Burtalo. By. Seventeen-year-olc1. John Daniel Justice called by friends and relatives told police he systematically murdered his family with Hunting knives first killing his 13-year-old brother then ambushing his Mother and finally stabbing his father to death. Following the murders the youth tried to Slit his wrists with razor Blades and. Falling that crashed the family Auto into another car in a last ditch suicide attempt. The Accident killed a 22-year-old neighbor Suffered Only minor injuries. While police were trying to free the teen Ager from Hie wreckage he blurted i killed hem. I killed my family. I killed them the papers make him out to be a cold blooded heartless killer and that just in t .," said Bobby Justice 31, an army staff sergeant and family Counselor with the 8th inf div in Mainz Germany. ". Is just a kid. The person who did the crimes was not Not the I Tow Nephew Justice knows is a High school Honor student a personal computer nut who abhorred the use of drugs and alcohol held Down a part time Job at a pizza restaurant and appeared regularly on it s academic a Buffalo area television quiz show. The youth had been awarded a scholarship to attend Rose Hulman Institute of technology a private science College in Indiana. In Short a Brig kid with a Bright future. He was definitely not into drugs or alcohol Justice said. In fact he was involved in this juvenile court program they have in Buffalo. When the kids would gel in trouble with drugs or alcohol or something like that. He would advise the judge on handing out sentences. Ii you talk to some of the kids he tried you d Lind he was pretty hard drugs and alcohol he did not like Al based on information obtained from the youth at the scene of the car crash and. Later in the Hospital where he was recovering police say May have been troubled Aboul his academic future. The teen Ager reportedly told police that his parents constantly put him Down for wanting to attend College and that they had refused to help pay for his education although they earned Aboul $50,000 a year. Such statements Puzzle Justice who says his brother expressed Only Pride and excitement Aboul S scholarship and future. It a my. . Was going to the Institute in Indiana and John was really proud and Happy about that " Justice said. His teachers were telling him not to Settle for anything less than Harvard or Yale but that was his teachers. . Wanted to go to Indiana us Naar his grandmother s Justice also said his brother knew the value of schooling and had always urged family members to get ahead through education. John dropped out of High school but when he moved to Buffalo he got his High school education because he knew that education was the big thing. He s the one that when i first came into the service was telling me to get an education while i was in the army to keep after it because you needed a College education to make it in this additionally Justice sold his brother had written that he wished the younger son. Mark who was hyperactive and did not do Well in school would take the interest in education that we re a close family we called or they called us a lot and we got a letter from John twice a month. There was never any indication of any problems with They talked about Mark they talked about Faving victims John and Mary jul it with a Young Nizic in a family photo Lokun in Juni. . Justice 0 Bright kid who had a Bright Futon. Finally gotten him straightened but if Justice disagrees with police on the question of motive he is unable to provide one of his own. I do think Has a lot of problems. I imagine he was going through a lot. He was such a perfectionist and he probably needed to talk to somebody about that to realize that nobody can do everything perfect. A of could have been part of it. . Needs a lot of help Anu he needs the help More than he needs the jail time. When Parent have one kid that s very Bright and seems like he can figure things out do things you tend to say Well he can handle himself he can make do and then you concentrate on the kid that you constantly have to Deal with. I think everyone tended to forget that a was just a teen Ager 17 years old and that s a trying time for Has been charged with three counts of intentional murder and one count of reckless murder. The neighbor who died in the car crash whom Apparently did not know suffered a snapped spinal column and massive internal injuries. John Justice was stabbed Lour times and his son Mark eight limes. Mary Justice was stabbed 14 limes leading police to speculate that Had More animosity toward his Mother. They never really had a Good relationship not the Best of one Justice sols. I would t say they got along fantastically. It always seemed like it was Mark and his Mother and And his father. No matter How you do it in any family setting it s always divided. It s nothing that you plan to do it s something that just works out that Way. I talked to the Buffalo police and they said they had to go to the House a few times Lor arguments and things but they never said whether it was Between and his mom or but adds Justice Well probably never know what the situation was what really happened or Why because the people who know the ones who probably have the answers Are John and the family hat retained attorney Joel l. Daniels a prominent Buffalo area lawyer known for his Success in cases involving insanity pleas. The trial begins nov. 4. Justice said adding that Daniels plans to use a temporary insanity defense. , entered an innocent plea at an arraignment hold last month. Justice is in Contact with his Nephew by mail he writes just like his dad and said the youth seems puzzled about being charged with the murders. He s not believing everything that s happened. The Only thing he said he could remember a Little bit was the Guy he hit in the car. He knew he was in an Accident that he had hit this Guy and he was very sorry about that. But he said the press were lying about him about killing his family. They had the news on in the holding Center and he said the press was lying about whatever happens. Justice said we re going to Slick. The family is staying with him. We love him and we want him to know monday november 4, 1985 the stars and stripes Page 13
