As an attorney representing a 31-year-old stepmother from Mobile, Alabama, and her father insist that she killed her boyfriend by stabbing him in the chest two weeks ago while his children were inside their apartment in self-defense, it seems that Mobile County prosecutors are heavily relying on a 911 call to establish “consciousness of guilt” and demonstrate that the killing was a murder.
Nobody is denying that Jennifer Nicole Heathcoe killed 33-year-old Taylor Rawlins on August 22 at his apartment while his children were present.
However, Heathcoe has entered a not guilty plea and her attorney has stated that the defendant had a “tumultuous” and “violent relationship,” which made her feel as though she had no choice but to use a knife to defend herself.
Furthermore, it has been stated that her father, Donald Cain, has discussed the subject in public and acknowledged that “it was self-defense.”
‘Every time I saw her for the last couple of times she was with him for about a year, it’s just gone bad for her,” he stated to a local news outlet.
But there seems to be a big problem with the self-defense claims because there are concerns about what was said and why during the 911 calls about the stabbing at the Charleston Apartments.
According to call transcript records obtained by a news outlet, Rawlins’ 9-year-old daughter first identified her stepmother Heathcoe as the person who stabbed her father when she dialed 911 while in her room in a last-ditch effort to save his life.
“My stepmom stabbed my dad,” the girl reportedly stated. “Please come quick! My daddy is gonna die.”
The Mobile County District Attorney’s Office seems to be very interested in this. A short while later, Heathcoe was purportedly heard on the phone encouraging the girl to put the blame for the stabbing elsewhere rather than on herself.
In an attempt to “minimize” her “involvement in this murder case,” Heathcoe seems to be “telling the child that’s calling to say that it wasn’t her,” according to Keith Blackwood. This could mean that her “consciousness of guilt” is not supporting her right to self-defense.
According to reports, Heathcoe called 911 herself that evening and claimed that there had been a “dispute” before the stabbing.
Yes, there was just this disagreement and… Baby, I got you. You’re not, I understand you. Breathe for me, Heathcoe supposedly whispered as Rawlins passed away, before implying once more that another person had stabbed him.
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As the sole child of his mother, Rawlins’ obituary described him as having a “deep connection to his mother,” “boundless love and devotion” for his two kids, and a “vibrant personality, sharp humor, and warm laughter [which] brought comfort and joy to everyone around him.”
“In honor of his memory, we encourage others to engage in conversations about domestic violence awareness, understanding that every small action can contribute to a safer world for families and individuals alike,” according to the obit.
Since Heathcoe is also accused in Daphne of neglecting to appear in court for a pending domestic abuse complaint resulting from a bar parking lot brawl with Rawlins months ago, according to records from the Mobile County Jail as of Thursday, she is being held without bond.
