Little boy caught 'sneaking Skittles' into bed stomped to death by dad during 2-day visit while mom begged for the boy to be returned to her

An Oregon dad is headed to prison after killing his 4-year-old son, who was found covered in cigarette burns, bruises and scars after being left with his father for a two-day stay that turned into weeks of alleged torture and abuse.

Marquavious Ware, 23, was sentenced Monday to 10 years in prison after accepting a plea deal that led to murder and assault charges being reduced to second-degree manslaughter, court records show.

Ware, who pleaded guilty in June, received credit for more than three years that he has served since his 2023 arrest for the May 2023 death of his son, Jhorden Clay, at an apartment in Portland’s Woodlawn neighborhood.

Court documents obtained by Law&Crime describe how Jhorden died in Ware’s care from blunt force trauma and a collapsed heart, while also suffering from severe malnutrition and dehydration. Jhorden’s mother, who had custody of him, told police she dropped the boy off with Ware for a scheduled two-day visit and Ware, who was 19 at the time, refused to return him to her.

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Weeks went by, with Ware allegedly beating Jhorden in front of family members and another child in the home.

“[A family member] reported that he heard Marquavious Ware yelling and ran upstairs to see victim in the bathtub with defendant washing blood from victim’s mouth,” a probable cause affidavit said about the day Jhorden died. “In victim’s bedroom, [police] observed what appeared to her to be blood on the bed, on the pillow, on the floor, and in the doorway. In the bathroom, [police] observed what appeared to her to be blood and vomit on the floor, and blood in the toilet.”

The family member who spoke to police told them that Ware had gotten mad at Jhorden for wetting the bed and “for sneaking Skittles into the bed,” according to the affidavit. The relative briefly left the apartment, then returned to find Ware yelling about Jhorden “having a seizure,” the affidavit said.

“[The family member] saw victim was vomiting into the bathtub, and saw blood on victim’s bed,” the document alleged. Jhorden was brought to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Medical staff “observed bruising” to Jhorden’s “face, jaw, neck, bilaterally on the ears, chest, abdomen, and thighs, bilaterally on the hips, the calves, and the arms,” per the affidavit. The bruising was believed to be between two hours and less than 30 days old. Cigarette burns and scars were also allegedly reported.

“Defendant admitted to engaging in mild physical discipline of victim including slapping him on the hand and making him stand in the corner with his foot raised and hitting him in the bottom of the foot with a hanger,” the affidavit said. “Defendant also stated victim had been in his care for approximately a month.”

Jhorden’s mom told investigators she saw signs of the abuse during a FaceTime call and documented them in photos. Police allegedly told her there was not much that could be done since Ware is Jhorden’s father.

Jhorden’s estate has a $17 million lawsuit pending against the Oregon Department of Human Services and the city of Portland, alleging that officials failed to protect the 4-year-old from his father following repeated reports of abuse.

According to The Oregonian, DHS conducted an internal review after Jhorden’s death and determined that the agency had failed to adequately investigate the prior reports of abuse — including FaceTime screenshots that Jhorden’s mother gave the agency less than a month before the boy’s death in April 2023. The photos showed bruising and a bump on Jhorden’s forehead, according to DHS records.

A child who was also staying with Ware told investigators that he saw Ware kicking and stomping on Jhorden at times.

“My son is really dead,” the boy’s mother said repeatedly in court after Ware was arrested and arraigned in 2023, The Oregonian reported.

“They failed my son,” the mom told the newspaper.

According to local ABC affiliate KATU, Jhorden’s mother tried to file a restraining order against Ware, but it was denied. It was not immediately clear why.

The woman told police that Jhorden was scared of his father and wanted to stay with his mother.

At his sentencing Monday, Ware’s attorney said his client regretted what happened and never intended for Jhorden to die. The attorney blamed some of the boy’s injuries on another person Ware knew and allowed into his home.

“He was supposed to be protected,” one of Jhorden’s relatives said at Ware’s arraignment in 2023. “And he wasn’t.”

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