The Murder of Tiana Notice

Tiana Notice was only 25 years old when she was brutally murdered by her ex-boyfriend James Carter II on February 14th, 2009. 

Prior to her death, Tiana lived in Plainville, Connecticut and she met Carter on a dating site. Around six months into their relationship, Carter was sentenced to five months in jail for the domestic abuse of a previous girlfriend. It was at this time that Tiana realized that Carter actually had a long history of many violent crimes, including assault.

Additionally, Tiana suspected that Carter was cheating on her. Due to all of these frightening circumstances, Tiana eventually decided to end her relationship with him. Unfortunately, Carter was not ready to let her go. 

The events that followed Tiana's breakup with Carter provide yet another tragic example of breakup violence inflicted upon a woman by a man. Furthermore, Tiana made many attempts to get help prior to her tragic event - and she was often brushed off by police. 

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Continued harassment and a restraining order.

Carter continued to harass Tiana after their breakup. She would frequently spot him sitting in his car outside of her apartment building and following her while she ran errands. When Tiana finally confronted Carter about it, he grew so irate that he actually took a restraining order against her. He cited that Tiana had assaulted him, which is why he needed the restraining order. 

Tiana denied these allegations, and even though Carter is the one who took the restraining order out on her, he continued to harass her via e-mail. Carter sent her threatening e-mails, saying things such as “As God is my witness, punishment is on the way, so be prepared,” and “You will have bad luck, you hear me? Remember this email when karma bites you in the ass.”

Tiana contacts police: no help is provided. 

Tiana went to police after receiving these e-mails to report Carter for violating the restraining order. The police did not take her seriously, and she was told that the e-mails that Carter sent were non-threatening. Carter continued to harass Tiana via phone and e-mail, and she repeatedly went to the police for help. According to Tiana’s mother, she went to the police 33 times in a 6-week period, but no action against Carter was ever taken. 

Things continued to escalate from there. One day upon leaving her apartment, Tiana discovered that her car had been vandalized. Once again, police told her that they were not going to take any action against Carter because they had no proof that he was the one who did it.

Cameras and a handwritten note. 

From there, Tiana and her family decided to take matters into their own hands. Her father helped her set up a surveillance camera in her apartment building’s parking lot. When Tiana returned home from work the next evening, she found a handwritten note at her apartment door that stated “Tiana, forgive me. I never cheated on you. If I’m lying may God take my life. Forgive me for everything else I have done.” 

Unfortunately, the video tape inside the surveillance camera had run out at this point and they did not capture anybody entering the building to tape the note to the door. Still, the police finally decided to take action at this point, and they attempted to contact Carter to have him provide a handwriting sample that they could compare to the note.

The night of Tiana's murder.

Carter grew enraged once he realized that Tiana had, once again, called the police on him. On February 14th, 2009, Carter lurked around Tiana’s apartment complex, waiting for her to come home. Once she arrived, Carter ambushed Tiana and stabbed her 20 times before fleeing the scene.

 

Tiana was still somehow able to make a phone call to 911. Tiana told dispatchers, “I’m bleeding to death. My ex-boyfriend just stabbed me to death.” She lost consciousness shortly thereafter and was rushed to the hospital once paramedics showed up. Just a few hours later, she passed away.

Justice for Tiana.

It did not take long for investigators to identify Carter as a suspect. He was arrested and charged with Tiana’s murder shortly thereafter. Carter's trial took place in 2011, and the jury ultimately found him guilty. 

He was later sentenced to 60 years in prison - but he opted to not attend his sentencing hearing. Tiana's father notes that this indicates a lack of remorse. He told reporters, "If a person was remorseful, he'd be out there saying to the family, 'I apologize'. This guy's an evil person and he deserves what he's getting."

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Sources:
Hartford Courant
NBC CT, (2)
True Crime Daily