A 9-year-old Alabama girl called 911 after witnessing her father being stabbed to death by his girlfriend, who called the girl her stepmother, police said.
Taylor Rawlins, 33, was fatally stabbed in his mobile home at the Charleston Apartments on Sollie Road on Aug. 22. His girlfriend Jennifer Heathcoe’s attorney argued her client acted in self-defense.
Mobile County District Attorney Keith Blackwood alleges that Heathcoe, 31, tried to get the girl to lie during the phone call, Fox10 TV reported.
During the 911 call that came in at 7:40 p.m., the young girl told the operator, “My stepmother stabbed my father,” before saying, “Please come quickly! My father is dying.”
According to the transcript, the operator asked where the child’s stepmother was and if she still had the knife. The child responded, “I don’t know. I’m in my room.”
Pictured: Jennifer Heathcoe, 31, is accused of stabbing her boyfriend Taylor Rawlins, 33
Her lawyer claims she acted in self-defense
The prosecutor said that during the phone call, “the suspect’s voice could be heard telling the child who called that it was not her.”
Blackwood added: “And you know, the fact that this happened in front of children is just tragic.”
The transcript shows that a second 911 call was made, this time by Heathcoe, who tells the operator that there is an emergency.
“Yeah, there was just this, uh, a dispute and… I got your baby. I got your no, you’re not. Breathe for me,” she can be heard saying on the call.
Leslie McEdlerry, Heathcoe’s attorney, claimed he acted in self-defense and that Rawlins was the aggressor that night.
Leslie McEdlerry, Heathcoe’s attorney, filed a claim of self-defense, claiming that Rawlins (pictured) was the aggressor that night
Heathcoe remains in Mobile Metro Jail. Her next preliminary hearing is scheduled for October 1
However, the prosecutor indicated that the 911 calls could undermine her claims of self-defense.
It was reported that the children were home at the time of the stabbing. Heathcoe’s attorney testified that they entered the room after hearing a commotion.
She also said a neighbor who heard the 911 call went to check on Heathcoe, who is a registered nurse, and saw her performing CPR on Rawlins, WKRG reported.
“This was a stormy and violent relationship, and there was a violent incident that preceded this,” McElderry said.
“This didn’t just come out of nowhere. Her position makes her feel the need to defend herself.”
“This was a tumultuous relationship, and it was an abusive relationship, and there was a violent incident that preceded this,” McElderry said
During her arraignment on Tuesday, Heathcoe pleaded not guilty
During her arraignment on Tuesday, Heathcoe pleaded not guilty.
Her father, Daniel Cain, was there and was overcome with emotion.
He told the news outlet that his daughter and Rawlins had been dating for about a year and that her name was on the lease for the apartments.
Heathcoe and Rawlins dated for about a year, her father said
“I just hope she gets out because I don’t think she deserves this,” he said, among other things. “It was self-defense.”
Heathcoe was denied bail after she failed to appear in court to face a domestic violence charge after she and Rawlins allegedly got into an argument at a bar in Daphne.
According to the news agency, her lawyer said the couple had an argument over the car keys and that her client believed Rawlins was too drunk to drive.
Heathcoe currently remains in the Mobile Metro Jail. Her next preliminary hearing is scheduled for October 1.