Tasmiyah & Yasmiyah Whitehead

Case record: Tasmiyah & Yasmiyah Whitehead

Background

Jarmecca “Nikki” Whitehead was the mother of identical twin daughters, Tasmiyah Whitehead and Jasmiyah Whitehead, who were 16 at the time of their arrest and the killing of their mother.

The twins lived with their great-grandmother, Della Frazier, and were later moved back to Conyers with their mother, Jarmecca Whitehead, about a week before the killing.

Friends described Jarmecca Whitehead as a “loving and open” mother. They said her rebellious teens increasingly challenged her on dating, cell phone use, and going to school. Friends also said the twins had been “A” students, involved in Girl Scouts and the performing arts, but became violent and difficult to handle after about 18 months, leading to a temporary move to live with their elderly great-grandmother.

The case involved an “apparent history of violent family turmoil.” There was reported conflict between Frazier and Jarmecca Whitehead, and the tensions were described as worsening over time, including arguments and disputes involving custody and discipline. A juvenile court judge had sent the twins back to Frazier’s home after a 2008 fight, and their mother was killed just over a week after the twins were returned to her custody.

The offence

Jarmecca “Nikki” Whitehead was found dead in her Conyers, Georgia home in a bathtub of her home at 2020 Appaloosa Way, where she had suffered a fatal spinal cord injury.

Prosecutors said the killing occurred at the climax of a fight between Jarmecca Whitehead and her teenage twin daughters. They said the fight began on the morning of Jan. 13, 2010.

According to prosecutors, the twins had been late for school, and the confrontation took place in the kitchen. The prosecution described that “(Nikki) hit Jas with a pot,” and “Tas took the pot from their mother and Nikki grabbed a steak knife.” Prosecutors said that during the fight their mother was cut and stabbed and that the melee halted at some point, after which Jarmecca Whitehead left the house seeking help from a next-door neighbor, then returned when no one answered.

Prosecutors described that at some point after returning, Jarmecca Whitehead “came and sat down in the kitchen … she was tired.” They said Jarmecca Whitehead “lunged at the knife,” and that “Eventually the blows necessary to bring about the death of Nikki Whitehead were given.”

A medical examiner ruled that the wounds were all “survivable” if Nikki had been treated immediately.

The wounds described by prosecutors included significant stab wounds to the lungs, jugular, and the back of the neck, where her spinal cord was severed. The bathtub location and the multiple stab wounds were described as having included some wounds that were shallow and other deep wounds that penetrated both lungs, the jugular vein, and the spinal cord.

In Tasmiyah Whitehead’s guilty plea-related account as revealed during sentencing, the twins argued in the kitchen about being late. Prosecutors said that Nikki threw a pot at Jasmiyah, then “grabbed a steak knife and a fight began.” Prosecutors said Tasmiyah claimed that at one point the fight stopped and her mother went out the house, then returned sometime later. They said that claim matched evidence that Nikki went next door for help, and prosecutors said there was blood on the wall of the house next door. Prosecutors also described that the next-door resident heard repeated door-knocking and doorbell-ringing “he described as frantic,” but did not see anyone outside. Prosecutors said that Tasmiyah claimed Nikki returned, picked up the knife, and “lunged” with it, starting the fight again, and that Nikki was stabbed to death.

Authorities reported that there was no sign of sexual assault and no forced entry.

Police described the violence as “a crime of passion...not a stranger-on-stranger case.”

Investigation

Conyers police investigated the death and implicated the twins after evidence was gathered, including cuts and bite marks on the twins after the fight. Investigators followed evidence that included DNA testing and other forensic work.

Investigators sought involvement by boyfriends and ruled out two suspects. Police ruled out Carter and Head, Nikki’s boyfriends, as suspects, citing evidence “ranging from DNA testing to phone and GPS records.”

Investigators also used security video and timing information. Prosecutors described that security video from the Shell gas station on West Avenue near the crime scene showed the twins walking on Green Street and getting into a car with an unknown driver around 10:15 a.m., which was “long after they told police they had gone to school.” Prosecutors also described video footage and a hall pass from the high school showing they arrived there around the same time. Prosecutors stated that this left investigators with a “two- to three-hour unexplained gap in time” in the twins’ story.

A forensic dentist examined bite marks on the twins by comparing them with tooth impressions taken from the twins and Nikki’s body. The dentist judged: “To a reasonable degree of probability, the bite on Tasmiyah Whitehead's left arm was placed there by her mother,” as described in court.

DNA matching the identical twins, who cannot be distinguished from each other genetically, was found in blood on a broken vase and shoes inside the house.

Police charged the twins with murder in May 2010 based on evidence that included forensic results.

A medical examiner later ruled that the wounds were “survivable” if Nikki had been treated immediately.

Prosecutors said that at one point Nikki had been accused by the police of out-of-control behavior and there was reported prior contact with police involving the family.

Arrest

Police arrested Tasmiyah Whitehead and Jasmiyah Whitehead in May 2010 and charged them with murder.

A later report described that police arrested the 16-year-old twin daughters of Conyers murder victim Jarmecca “Nikki” Whitehead on Friday morning (May 21, 2010) and charged them with the murder of their mother. The report said the twins would be tried as adults due to the nature of the crime.

Prosecutors said the twins flagged down a Rockdale County sheriff’s deputy driving by their home later on the day of the killing, telling the deputy they found their mother dead.

The report described that one twin was passive during arrest and the other was hostile, but neither showed surprise.

The twins were kept separately in detention facilities.

Trial

After their arrest, both twins pleaded not guilty.

On September 12, 2011, a report described that the murder case against sisters Jasmiyah and Tasmiyah Whitehead appeared to be moving closer to trial after they pleaded not guilty in Rockdale County Superior Court. Attorneys for the teenagers waived a formal arraignment, and the report described that defense attorneys indicated they would file motions, with the next court hearing not scheduled.

The report described that both suspects remained in custody separately in the Rockdale and Newton county jails and that they would face trial together.

A jury selection challenge was mentioned. The report said Atlanta criminal defense attorney Dwight Thomas, who was defending Jasmiyah, filed a motion challenging the jury selection process in Rockdale County, arguing that the jury pools were “woefully under-representative of the demographic realities of Rockdale County.” The report said a judge placed a moratorium on jury trials to allow the jury commission to update the jury pools to correspond with the 2010 U.S. Census, and that after work was completed the Rockdale County Grand Jury reindicted the pair for the same charges.

A later account described that Jasmiyah went to trial in March 2014 in connection with the killing and could face life in prison.

Sentencing

Tasmiyah Whitehead pleaded guilty on January 9, 2014.

She pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter, falsification in government matters, and possession of a knife during the commission of a crime in the death of her mother.

Judge David Irwin made the following remarks at the plea hearing:

“I have read about … tragedies of epic proportion,” Rockdale County Superior Court Judge David Irwin said Thursday at Tasmiyah Whitehead’s plea hearing. “I had no idea what that was until today.”

Tasmiyah Whitehead was sentenced to 30 years in prison on January 9, 2014.

At sentencing, Rockdale County Chief Superior Court Judge David Irwin described the killing as “a tragedy of epic proportions” and sentenced Tasmiyah based on admissions in her confession. The report described the sentencing as involving maximum sentences for each count, to be served consecutively:

• 20 years in prison for voluntary manslaughter
• five years for falsification in government matters
• five years for possession of a knife in commission of a crime

All are described as the maximum sentences, and Tasmiyah would serve them consecutively, for the longest possible time.

Tasmiyah had been in jail awaiting trial since her arrest in May 2010. The court gave her credit for her time in jail awaiting trial.

In court, Lynda Whitehead spoke. She said:

“I would just like to say today, I'm a broken mother and a broken grandmother,” she said.
“I love my daughter. I love my granddaughters. There are no winners here.”

The judge replied:

“I agree with you,” Irwin replied quietly.

Lynda Whitehead also said:

“If you do wrong in this world, there are consequences,” Lynda Whitehead added.
“Unfortunately, my granddaughters never learned right and wrong.”

District Attorney Richard Read revealed details about the crime, including police investigation and Tasmiyah’s confession, in step-by-step fashion.

The judge told Tasmiyah:

“The way we show remorse is how you live each day,” Irwin told Tasmiyah before bailiffs led her away.
“I wish you the best of luck.”

In the same court proceeding, Tasmiyah responded to questions about her plea with “Yes, sir.”

Prosecutors said the twins had been living with their great-grandmother Della Frazier and that they were moved back to Conyers with Jarmecca Whitehead shortly before the killing. Prosecutors described repeated family turmoil.

A tearful Lynda Whitehead said she forgave the twins and loved them, but lamented that they were not held accountable.

Appeals

No appeals were described in the provided material beyond the mention of motions related to jury selection and reindictment after a moratorium.

Outcome

Tasmiyah Whitehead pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and other charges and was sentenced to 30 years in prison on January 9, 2014.

Jasmiyah Whitehead went to trial in March 2014 in connection with the killing and could face life in prison.

Aftermath

Tasmiyah Whitehead remained in custody following sentencing. She was moved to the Rockdale County jail when she turned 17 and was to remain there until transferred to a state Department of Corrections facility to serve the remainder of her sentence.

Jasmiyah Whitehead was being held without bond in the Newton County jail in Covington and awaited her trial in March.

Family members, friends, and reporters packed the courtroom.

Lynda Whitehead said it was hard to understand because she had never seen violence and never feared them. She said the twins “were loving girls,” and she also said the victim “was a loving person” and “She always brought people together.”

Lynda Whitehead accused the twins’ great-grandmother Della Frazier of teaching them to disobey Jarmecca Whitehead.

She said she feared her daughters in Nikki’s final days. She said Nikki was talking to her on the phone “like she was talking to police,” and added that “Jas was very ugly” in her behavior. She also said “She couldn't be a jailer,” and that “There was nobody to protect her from her children in her own house.”

A family friend, Yucca Harris, described the situation as hard on the victim’s family and friends. Harris said:

“We don't know where to go from here,” said Harris, who had heard about the arrest through word of mouth and had been in court while the girls were charged this afternoon. “They showed no remorse. No emotion,” said Harris. “They said nothing.”

The provided material also referenced prior custody disputes and police calls involving the family.

Other details

Both twins were described as identical twins and were charged with malice murder, felony murder, and aggravated assault in connection with Jarmecca “Nikki” Whitehead’s death.

A juvenile court judge had ruled the twins “ungovernable” and placed them in Frazier’s custody, and ordered the whole family to counseling after a 2008 fight.

Prosecutors described that Nikki was found in contempt of court for cursing at Frazier and the twins.

Prosecutors described late 2009 juvenile court proceedings for truancy and running away from home, with a judge placing the twins back in Nikki’s custody and the decision causing “chaos in the hallway of juvenile court.”

A specific statement was attributed to Jasmiyah during court proceedings, quoted by the district attorney:

“Jasmiyah said, ‘If I have to go live with you again, I'm going to kill you.’”

The material also described other incidents involving the twins and their mother, including a dispute at a welcome-home party where Tasmiyah called reporting a dispute with an aunt leading to a “pushing match.”

The report described that Nikki had called Conyers police on June 28, 2008, accusing the twins of attacking her. Minutes after officers calmed the situation, Nikki ran out of the house to a police car saying the girls attacked her again, and officers observed that Nikki had scratches and red marks that she did not have three minutes earlier. Officers also found marks on the girls.

The report mentioned that Nikki believed the girls were sexually active, using marijuana, and skipping school, and the twins alleged that Nikki was a hypocrite and used marijuana. The report described that at one point one of the twins claimed to have been raped and Nikki did not believe her.

The report described the twins’ boyfriends as Carter and Head, and described police ruling them out as suspects.

A medical examiner’s finding included a ruling on survivability with immediate treatment.

The address and location details included the crime scene at 2020 Appaloosa Way in Conyers, Georgia, in the gated Bridle Ridge subdivision, off of Dogwood Drive.

The report also mentioned that police investigation involved Conyers Police, Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office, and the Rockdale County District Attorney’s Office.

Judge David Irwin, District Attorney Richard Read, and Rockdale County District Attorney Richard Read were named in connection with court proceedings. Chief Superior Court Judge David Irwin and Rockdale County Superior Court Judge David Irwin were named as the same judge in the provided material.

The material also contained quotations attributed to District Attorney Richard Read including:

“Tas said Nikki came and sat down in the kitchen … she was tired,” Read said. “Tas said Nikki lunged at the knife. Eventually the blows necessary to bring about the death of Nikki Whitehead were given.”

And:

“There was name-calling and cursing and gouging and scratching and everybody was mad,” Read said. “During the fight, her mom was cut and stabbed.”

And:

“I just don't know.”