PEORIA/BLOOMINGTON, Ill. (25 News) – A Peoria mother has been waiting four years for justice after her son was shot and killed at a house party in McLean County.
“I can’t see my son, and it’s Mother’s Day. That’s a feeling no mom ever wants to feel. I’m tired. I’m tired,” said Tomekea Love, mother of Kany’e Stowers.
Love’s 17-year-old son was shot and killed during a house party near Downtown Bloomington. After years of delays, the trial is set to begin Monday, May 11, and Love said she is nervous about it.
“Nervous, anxious, scared, physically, what I’m going to see. When it happens to your child, it’s real. It hits home,” Love said.
Love added that the long wait and repeated court delays have taken a toll on her entire family.
“Destroyed us. Then I try to hold it together for them. They are emotionally drained. I’ll try to listen to his music to make me happy,” Love said.
As she prepares to face Tomiyale Anderson, the man accused of killing her son, Love said justice is simple.
“Justice is knowing when they finally say they give him life, you took my son’s life. I think it’s fair when you take somebody’s life, you get life. That should be a law,” Love said.
As Mother’s Day approaches, Love said it is another painful reminder of what is missing.
“That’s a different feeling. His life was taken. You know, and that’s a feeling that he’ll never be back to walk this earth or say Happy Mother’s Day to me or kiss me or hug me,” Love said.
Love said she has kept going for her son.
“I didn’t give up on my son. And I don’t think any mother should ever give up on who killed their child,” Love said.
As the trial approaches, Love said she is praying for strength and closure.
The trial is scheduled to begin Monday at the McLean County Law and Justice Center in Downtown Bloomington.
Love said she plans to be there every step of the way, searching for answers and what she calls justice for her son.
(Reporting by Imani McClay)
