Manny Collins was an ‘old soul’ who checked in on family and had hopes for the future

The mother of slain teen Jordan “Manny” Collins Jr., couldn’t pick just one favorite memory with her son Friday. There were too many to choose from, Ashley Berry said, remembering her son as an active, playful kid.

“He loved to do a lot,” she said at a news conference called by families and supporters. “He liked to skateboard. We’d go play basketball across the street from where I live. He likes the water park. He likes a lot of things. ... I brought him a [camera] for his birthday, so he loved to take pictures.”

Collins was last seen on May 8 near his father’s Columbia Heights apartment and reported missing four days later. His remains were found in an Elk River landfill more than a month later.

This week, his father, Jordan Dupree Collins Sr., 38, was charged in Anoka County District Court with second-degree murder. Preliminary autopsy results found that the teen suffered “decapitation by knife,” according to the complaint, and law enforcement found bloody items in garbage bags in a living room closet and several butcher or hunting-style knives in a bedroom closet in Collins Sr.’s apartment.

On Friday, Berry said she wants justice for her son. For her, that means more severe charges. She said she’d like her son’s killer to be charged with first-degree murder.

“I’m hoping for that,” she said. “The prosecutor said they’re going to try to push for more than what it is right now.”

Berry said earlier this week that Collins Sr. had re-entered his son’s life after a “rocky” period. At the time of his killing, the teen was spending time at his father’s home to receive help with math homework.

On Friday, Berry said her son had previously lived with his father in California without incident, and that they had a good relationship in the past.

“I’ve been knowing this guy since I was 14 years old, and I’m trying to give him a little benefit of the doubt,” she said. “He loved his son. I let him live out in California with him for years. ... If [there were an issue], I would’ve never let him go over there.”

She remembered her son as an “old soul” who, at 16, had just gotten a job at Planet Fitness gym in addition to helping his family. He attended school at St. Paul Public Schools online.

“He was 16; he’s already had jobs lined up,” she said. “He takes care of his grandmother every week. He mows her grass.”

Those responsibilities weighed heavily on him. Between his mom and grandmother, he felt pressure to “be the man of the house,” Berry said.

“I told him, ‘Just be a kid,’ ” she said. “Don’t worry about that. Yeah, he was ahead of his time.”

In addition to working at the gym, Collins also enjoyed working out. In a Facebook post, Manny’s uncle, Michael Wilson Jr., said he was working on teaching his nephew the basics of boxing and fitness.

“You were my inspiration in life since the day I met you; I wanted to be a father and give you cousins to pass the game to,” he wrote.

Above all, Berry said her son loved his family. She recalled him checking in on her regularly.

“He checks on me more, like, ‘Mom. Do you want to talk about anything?’ She said. ”I’m checking on you, you don’t worry about me."

Nautica Polo, one of Manny’s aunts, said the same in a Facebook post.

“If you knew my nephew you knew he was so loving,” she wrote, adding that he always checked in on her “24/7″ over Snapchat.

Berry said he also cared about his girlfriend, whom he often talked to on FaceTime video calls until they both fell asleep. He was even loving to strangers.

“He would talk to a person that was triple his age and try to give them advice,” she said. “He cares for everybody, and that’s what scared me, too, cause ... people can take advantage of you.”