Casualties, Homicide

Mother struggling with death of her son by his brother

Jennifer Runnion sat on her living room couch recently, smiling and laughing about some of her son’s intricate drawings, figurines made from aluminum foil and model airplanes built with LEGO blocks. The next minute she was shedding tears describing his playful spirit and love for others. It’s been three months since 16-year-old Aja Dasa was stabbed to death at their home on Webber Way on Spartanburg’s east side. “I take it day by day, minute by minute sometimes,” Runnion said. Aja was found collapsed and bleeding from a stab wound to the abdomen on a neighbor’s front porch after running there for help Feb. 11. Spartanburg police charged his 18-year-old brother, Amarendra Dasa, with the fatal stabbing after finding him hiding in a wooded area not far from the home.