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| Nikki and the girls at a young age. (source: Bukisa - Life and Style) |
Nikki moved her daughters to Conyers, Georgia in hopes of giving them a better life, but Jasmiyah and Tasmiyah were not happy about the change. The girl’s relationship with their mother had soured since the two entered high school. Jasmiyah and Tasmiyah felt that Nikki was too strict, and they began to resent her for that. Nikki felt that the girls were always challenging her and found herself taking away their phones and other privileges quite often.
Police were called to the home numerous times prior to the murder. One night, Nikki frantically called 911 after Jasmiyah had snuck out in the middle of the night to meet her boyfriend. Another night, during yet another blowout between the girls and their mother, Nikki called the police again.
This time, Jasmiyah and Tasmiyah told the officers that they wanted to go back to living with their great-grandmother, where the rules were more relaxed. Conyers Police Officer Myra Scruggs spoke with the girls and their mother at their home for a few hours that night, and things appeared to calm down after that. Jasmiyah and Tasmiyah told Officer Scruggs that they were just going to let it go and call their great-grandmother the following morning.
Still, Officer Scruggs had a bad feeling after leaving their home that evening, so she decided to remain at their subdivision for a little bit longer. Less than five minutes after Officer Scruggs walked out of their door, Nikki came screaming and running outside with a cordless phone in her hand. Officer Scruggs ran back to the home and was told by Nikki that the girls had attacked her.
Jasmiyah and Tasmiyah claimed they had done so in self-defense after Nikki was being physically abusive towards them. However, Officer Scruggs noticed that Nikki had scratches on her neck and chest while the girls remained unmarked. Jasmiyah and Tasmiyah were taken into custody that night and charged with assaulting their mother.
The girls, along with their mother, were ordered by the court to undergo counseling. Even after this, though, the conflicts between Jasmiyah and Tasmiyah and their mother continued. On the afternoon of January 13th, 2010, the girls flagged down a police car and frantically told officers that they found their mother dead in a blood-soaked bathtub.
When the police arrived on the scene, they discovered that Nikki had been stabbed to death over 80 times; her spinal cord was nearly severed. From there, investigators were tasked with finding out who committed such a gruesome murder.
Initial suspicions about the girls.
Upon the discovery of Nikki's body by police, Jasmiyah and Tasmiyah placed in an ambulance, where one of the officers noticed that Tasmiyah was biting herself on her arm. Investigators found this odd, so they questioned her about it. Tasmiyah simply replied that it was something she does when she gets upset.
The twins' demeanor while being speaking to investigators raised red flags as well. While being questioned about their mother’s murder, the girls reportedly cried a lot, but according to investigators, their cries were tearless. Additionally, when they were asked to describe their mother, they were both very insulting towards her, despite the fact that she had just been brutally murdered.
Investigators grew very suspicious of the girls after this–especially after they separated them during questioning. Once the Jasmiyah and Tasmiyah were apart, their stories began to have some unmatched inconsistencies. At the time, though, the investigators only had circumstantial evidence, so the girls were released to their great-grandmother.
Investigators uncover more evidence.
In the following four months, investigators gathered more physical evidence. During this time, they discovered that Nikki’s teeth matched the bite mark on Tasmiyah’s arm. It is believed that Nikki bit her in self-defense. They began to realize that Tasmiyah was likely biting her arm in the ambulance that evening to cover up the bite mark from her mother.
Additionally, Nikki had a strand of human hair stuck between her teeth that belonged to Tasmiyah. Investigators also found a journal in the home that revealed that the girls had a premeditated plan to kill their mother.
Once prosecutors felt they had built a strong enough case, Jasmiyah and Tasmiyah were finally arrested and charged with their mother’s murder in May 2010.
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| source: The Covington News |
Confession and conviction.
Both Jasmiyah and Tasmiyah eventually confessed to attacking their mother that morning before leaving her in a bathtub to die while they went to school. The twins accepted a plea deal and were sentenced to 30 years in prison.
The girls are serving their sentences in two separate Georgia prisons. Jasmiyah is Jasmiyah serving her sentence in Pulaski State Prison. Tasmiyah is serving her sentence in Arrendale State Prison.
I am so sadden for this mother who reached out for help and was denied by the court. The court ordered for theses kids to return someplace that they did not want to be. How could it be self-defense when you are stabbing someone 80 times. 80 times. Yeah, you're going to find hair, skin and everything thing else under her nails when you are fighting for your life. I'm glad the mom got justice. What a horrible life.
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