Another tragedy for the Jacksons. Fifteen years after the death of the King of Pop and six years after that of patriarch Joe, the most famous siblings in the world lost one of their members this Sunday, September 15. It was Toriano Jackson, the older brother of Michael and Janet. Aged 70, the one everyone nicknamed “Tito” died after suffering a cardiac arrest following a car accident while driving to Oklahoma from New Mexico. During his life, the backing singer and guitarist had notably had to overcome the murder of his ex-wife, Delores Martes. Married from 1972 to 1988, the couple had three sons, Taj, Taryll and TJ. Seven years after their divorce, “Dee Dee” was found unconscious in a swimming pool. A tragedy that left a lasting impression on the entire family.
Delores Martes was only 39 years old and her sons were still young. In 2017, as reported Peoplethe latter confided in the ABC channel and returned to this atrocious loss. They had specified that their mother had died before they arrived at the hospital to say goodbye to her. “I had a sixth sense and in my head I already knew that it was terrible and that my mother was no longer with us. It was a real nightmare. It is the worst memory a child can have.”the younger brother, TJ, had said. Police had initially declared Dee Dee Jackson's death the result of accidental drowning, but later reclassified it as murder.
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Donald Bohana, the man who was convicted of the murder of Delores Jackson
During the investigation, 58-year-old businessman Donald Bohana, with whom Delores had been in a relationship for a few weeks at the time of her death, was implicated and convicted of the murder in 1998. He was sentenced to prison and spent 24 years behind bars, until December 2022. Interviewed by ABC about Dee Dee's death on August 26, 1994, Donald Bohana explained that the days were very hot in Los Angeles at the time. “We would go out, sit by the pool, have a few drinks, it was very romantic.”he recalled, adding that his lover at the time was swimming when he noticed she was struggling in the deepest part of the pool. “I jumped in, put my arms around her, and then pulled her out of the pool.”he had assured. Around 3:30 that night, he had finally called 911.
An autopsy of Delores Martes, conducted more than two months after her death, revealed that the 30-year-old had a blood alcohol level three times the legal limit for driving when she died. Donald Bohama was similarly intoxicated that night. Tito and Dee Dee had met at Fairfax High School in Los Angeles in the early 1970s. When asked by the press about his ex-wife's death, Tito Jackson revealed that he remembered “bruises” on her body, which led him to believe there had been a fight. “To me, that indicates that this is murder, first degree.”he had said without batting an eyelid.
Photo credits: ALPHA AGENCY / BESTIMAGE
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