Heartbroken relatives of the 7-year-old girl killed while visiting her mother’s Bronx home over the summer demanded “justice” Monday night as the child was finally laid to rest.
Scores of mourners packed John’s Funeral Home in East New York, Brooklyn, for the wake of little Julissia Batties, who was found dead in her mom’s apartment on Aug. 10 with apparent signs of trauma.
“I want justice,” the youngster’s distraught grandmother, Yolanda Davis, said at the funeral home. “I want justice for my granddaughter — I mean it.”
Julissia’s death was ruled a homicide after autopsy results showed she died of “blunt force abdominal trauma.” Nearly three months later, no criminal charges have been filed in the tragic case, which remains under investigation.
The girl’s funeral arraignments were delayed until Monday, as her parents battled in court over custody of her remains.
Dad Julius Batties, who wore a purple T-shirt with photo of his daughter’s face to her wake, sobbed as slumped over her closed white casket for several moments.
During the service, the father eulogized his dead daughter, remembering the times they shared together.
“Me and my daughter we got to go through things because we love each other as much as we did,” he told the mass of attendees.
“I had a ball with her. I’d go to work, come home, and try to trick her with the snacks. I love her, and always going to love her. I’m going to miss FaceTiming at night,” he added.
Mom Navasia Jones — who, according to law-enforcement sources, has been questioned in connection to Julissia’s death — was permitted to attend the wake for one hour as part of the agreement she struck with Batties late last month.
Sources said Julissia’s 17-year-old half-brother was also questioned by detectives. He allegedly admitted to punching her eight times in the face the day she died — though it was later determined those blows were not what ultimately killed her.
There was a known history of violence in the home, with police called there over suspected abuse six times from 2018 to 2020, sources previously said.
