James Javar “JJay” Kennedy was always running late. He would say he’d be somewhere in five minutes, and show up hours later.
The birth of his daughter Myla in May 2016 changed that.
“It made him more mature. He had to grow up,” his sister Marquita Kennedy said. “He became more effective, he became more dependable with his child. He wanted to teach her the best things, and he wanted all of the best things for her.”
In order to provide for Myla, James enrolled at Brightwood Career Institute in Broomall for HVAC work. He completed the program in June 2017 and was looking forward to attending graduation, which was scheduled for a few months later. But he didn’t get the chance to go.
James with siblings Damir, Marquita and Tyreif
James was shot and killed Aug. 9, 2017 in North Philadelphia. He was 22. His murder remains unsolved.
His family attended the graduation ceremony in his place and accepted his diploma for him.
“I miss everything about him — just his presence,” Marquita said. “We miss his laugh. He had a raspy laugh like a cartoon character. We miss him just being silly. He had a Monte Carlo that was so noisy loud that we could hear him coming. We miss him showing up and just being here. He’s just missing.”
James was born May 16, 1995 in Philadelphia to Debra Kennedy and Hasker Bines Jr. In addition to Marquita, who is seven years older, James had three brothers, big brother Tyrief and two younger brothers, Damir and Devier.
As the big sister, Marquita played a strong role in James’ caretaking; he even called her “sister mom.” As a child, he wore glasses and was on the nerdy side, Marquita said. He was into things like science fiction and debating the existence of aliens.
When he was about 8, his father was sitting on the couch trying to unjam a gun and accidentally shot and killed himself. Losing his father affected him profoundly, Marquita said. As James got older, he was unable to remember many details of his father, which was distressing to him. Marquita did her best to share her memories of the man everyone called “Mr. James.”
James, his mother Debra, his niece and his brother Damir
Marquita and Tyrief have a different father and she said they were jealous that James had his mom and his dad in his life. They thought of him as spoiled, but he suffered the most mentally after his father died.
As their mother was lost in her own grief, James went from a geeky nerd to more of a rebel. He started getting into rap music, partying and dirt bikes, and he wanted to be called JJay rather than James. He was sent to Glen Mills, a reform school for boys, where he received his GED.
“It’s hard to say how he would have turned out if his dad had been there to guide him, but it did bother him that he didn’t remember things about his dad,” Marquita said. “His place was never replaced, and there was nobody to fill that void to show him how to be a man or show him things he should have been shown. He just went on his own.”
Becoming a father to Myla changed James’ life, and he relied on Marquita to show him the ropes since she already had her own daughter.
“It was a happy time for us,” she said. “To watch her grow and to watch him come along, teaching her how to get on the potty, showing her her body parts in the bathtub, teaching her how to talk. Her first word was ‘dad.’ He took so much pride in her.”
James and daughter Myla
Two days before James died, the family took a road trip — James, Myla, Marquita and their mom Debra — to pick up their brother Damir from a summer college program in Baltimore. They didn’t realize it, but it would be the last time they’d all be together.
“We had a long ride and we talked about everything, we talked about his plans and what he wanted to do and it was good for us to hear,” she said. “It was like, ‘Okay, you finally get it now.’ He was on his way.”
They listened to Meek Mill in the car, and now when Marquita visits James at Greenmount Cemetery — where his father and grandmother are also buried — she plays those songs for him.
A reward of up to $20,000 is available for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for James’ murder. Anyone with information can make an anonymous tip to the Citizens Crime Commission at 215-546-TIPS.
Date: 2017-08-09
Location: 2400 N Garnet St, Philadelphia, PA
