Crime & Safety

Christine Mays Recounts Night Her Grandson Was Killed

She insists her son, Christopher Mays, who was charged with murder and involuntary manslaughter, didn't mean to hurt his son Adonis

On Dec. 19, 34-year-old Christopher Mays was charged with killing his 16-year-old son, Adonis, after putting him in a chokehold.

Preliminary results of Adonis' autopsy show that he died of asphyxia, but the Cuyahoga County Coroner's Office is running more tests, said Police Chief Jeffrey Robertson. He was charged with murder and involuntary manslaughter.

Cleveland Heights Patch spoke to Adonis' grandmother Christine on Dec. 21 about what happened. Adonis and Christopher play-wrestled all the time, Christine said. So she didn't think twice when she heard Adonis yell, "Get off me" on Dec.19. 

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But when she went upstairs to check on them, her son had left and Adonis was unresponsive in an upstairs bedroom, according to a press release from the Cleveland Heights Police Department.

"I have, my grandchild is down, I think he might possibly be unconscious," said Christine Mays in the 9-11 call. "My grandchild, he was just wrestling with his dad and I think he might be out."

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The Cleveland Heights Fire Department took Adonis to Huron Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to the press release. When Christopher Mays returned to the residence on Henderson, police arrested him.

An argument between Adonis and his father escalated, according to the press release, and Christopher Mays was accused of killing his son after putting him in a chokehold.

But that's not like Christopher, Christine said at her home on Dec. 21.

Christine and other family members insist it was an accident. 

"I can't believe his father would have walked outside of the room thinking his son was not OK," Christine said. "Chris is not that kind of person. This is not someone who would intentionally hurt someone.

"He was crazy about Adonis and Adonis was crazy about him."

She said her son and grandson volunteered together at the food pantry at Mt. Zion Church on Northfield Road some Saturdays and played video games.

Christine Mays said Adonis had lived in her home with Christopher since March, and went to Shaw High School. She said his mother lives in Cleveland with his three siblings, and he has another sister who lives in Pennsylvania with his father's ex-girlfriend. 

He volunteered with his grandmother at Mt. Zion Church, delivering food to senior citizens and working in the nursery.  

"He loved people, and he simply adored children," Christine said. "He was the one who played with the kids who had separation anxiety from their parents, and he would do whatever he could to comfort them."

Mt. Zion staff had recently asked him to teach children at the church, Christine said.

"He was really excited, and all of the kids just love him."

Calls made to Shaw High School were not returned, and officials from Mt. Zion were unavailable for comment. 

Christine switched from past to present tense, and held back tears when recalling memories of her grandson. The sled he used over the weekend was still in the living room.  Her cell phone rang several times.

"People say that they are really going to miss him," she said, after a woman from church called. "She said, 'Is that our Adonis? Is that our Adonis?' She was crying so I really wanted to keep talking to her."

Adonis loved to cook for her, and she laughed about the time he made her a pizza and a side of shrimp.

"He liked to cook because he liked to eat," Christine said. He was about 6'1" or 6'2" and, "every bit of 230 lbs."

And there were other things she remembered about Adonis. He helped her set up her DVD player that she thought was broken. She realized he was too strong to play ball in the front yard when the ball landed on a neighbor's front porch across the street. 

Christine, whose 52nd birthday is on Christmas Day, said that during the summer, Adonis started to spend more time volunteering at the church and was baptized.

"He really wanted to understand Christian life … He wanted to be with Jesus."


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