One person posted online that they would have done the same thing if they had been in Chhatise’s position. Someone close to McKis responded directly, asking how anyone could justify such an act.
McKis’s cousin posted on April 21st. She wrote about McKis — a man who had taken in a woman who did not have much, who loved her two oldest children as his own, who gave gifts not just on holidays, who had taken her out of the country, who had bought a five-bedroom home so the family could live comfortably, who did whatever was needed to keep her and those children at peace. She addressed every circulating narrative directly, saying McKis had never once put his hands on Chhatise, that Chhatise was the aggressor, and that there was no other version of this story.
People who knew them both also posted. One person wrote asking why it had to go this far, saying that Chhatise and Keys were always together and that Keys always lit up around her.
—
On May 2nd, Chhatise’s mother, Faticia Jackson, posted a statement. She wrote from two directions at once — grieving for McKis and standing by her daughter.
“I’m also grieving,” she wrote. “I lost a man that I called my son-in-law. I loved him as well. This seems like all a dream. I don’t care what social media says. Everyone is going to have their opinions, but they don’t know the facts. But know that it’s hard for my daughter. She is also grieving and hurting. My baby is not a bad person. It’s something that happened in the heat of the moment. They loved each other. They had good times and bad times. There’s no perfect relationship. I am so sorry that this happened. I’m definitely going to miss McKis Bostic. He always told me he loved me. That was my son, too. I’m hurting for everybody, especially my grandkids. This shouldn’t have happened. We all were family, dysfunctional and all.”
McKis James Bostik was laid to rest on May 3rd, 2025.
—
The preliminary hearing was held on June 11th, 2025. The defense argued the case had been overcharged — that Chhatise had been outnumbered and was trying to escape a dangerous situation, and that manslaughter was the more appropriate charge. Prosecutors pushed back directly, pointing to the fact that she made two deliberate attempts with that vehicle.
see continuation on next page
