The case over a deadly Bronx stabbing returned to a courtroom this week. A Bronx TikToker accused of killing a 17-year-old boy was back in court, keeping a painful case in front of a grieving family.
The defendant appeared as questions about his mental state moved to the foreground. Andrew Tollinche was before a judge after a mental exam found him competent to proceed with the case against him.
His defense is not ready to let that finding stand unchallenged. Tollinche's attorney requested a hearing to review the exam before he is arraigned, setting up another step before the case moves forward.
A date has already been set for that next step. Tollinche is scheduled to return to court on September 14th, when the results of his medical exam are expected to be reviewed.
The charges he faces are serious. Tollinche is charged with murder, manslaughter and criminal possession of a weapon in connection with the killing.
At the center of the case is a teenager who never made it home. The victim has been identified as 17-year-old Jonathan Melo, whose death set the prosecution in motion.
Prosecutors have laid out how they say the attack unfolded. They say Melo was riding a scooter when he was stabbed in the back.
For the family, each court date reopens the wound. Melo's relatives were in court and said they are still waiting for justice, telling reporters that there are no words and that nothing is going to replace their son, even as they voiced relief that the man they blame is off the street.