Identical Twins Murder Mother Over School Dispute: The Shocking Case of Nikki Whitehead
The murder of Nikki Whitehead shocked the small community of Conyers, Georgia, when she was discovered brutally stabbed in her bathtub in 2010. Her teenage twin daughters, known as Taz and Jazz, were the ones who reportedly found their mother's body after returning home from school. The gruesome scene marked the tragic end for a single mother who had overcome significant challenges in her life, having been born while her own mother was incarcerated.
Despite her difficult beginnings, Nikki worked hard to provide opportunities for her daughters, enrolling them in dance and music classes while maintaining high academic expectations. However, the family dynamic deteriorated dramatically when the twins entered their teenage years. What began as typical adolescent rebellion escalated into physical confrontations, with police being called to the home multiple times. Law enforcement noted disturbing behavioral patterns from the girls during these incidents, including suspicious calm after arguments with their mother and tearless crying after her death.
Key Takeaways
Nikki Whitehead's murder followed a pattern of escalating conflicts with her teenage twin daughters who resented her parental discipline.
Police documented concerning behavior from the twins during previous domestic incidents, including an unnatural calmness after physical altercations.
The investigation uncovered suspicious physical evidence including bloody footwear and the inexplicably clean bathroom sinks at the crime scene.
The Murder of Nikki Whitehead
Nikki Whitehead's life came to a tragic end in her Conyers, Georgia home, where she was discovered brutally stabbed in her bathtub. The crime scene revealed a horrific attack with approximately 80 stab wounds, leaving her spine nearly severed. What made this case particularly shocking was that her 16-year-old twin daughters, Tasmia and Jasmia, known as Taz and Jazz, were the ones who reportedly found her body.
The Discovery of the Crime
The twins returned home from school one afternoon to what appeared to be a grisly scene. They flagged down a passerby near their home's gate, frantically explaining that someone had killed their mother. Law enforcement arrived to find Nikki's body in a blood-soaked bathtub. The crime scene was described by one investigator as "horrific," noting it was unlike anything they had encountered before.
Upon closer examination, investigators noticed several concerning details:
The sinks were completely clean and white, contrasting with the bloody crime scene
Blood-stained shoes were found hidden in the back of a closet
A pair of brown boots with significant blood was discovered in Taz's bedroom
A clump of hair was found at the scene
Background of the Victim
Nikki's life began under difficult circumstances—she was born while her mother was incarcerated for drug possession. Raised by her grandmother, Nikki grew up with minimal supervision and few boundaries. At just 17 years old, she became pregnant with twins. For the first 12 years of the twins' lives, the three lived with Nikki's grandmother in a household where rules were relaxed.
When the girls were approaching their teenage years, Nikki made a determined effort to create a better environment for them. She worked hard to move the family to Conyers, Georgia, about 20 miles from their previous home. This move represented Nikki's attempt to break the cycle and provide structure that had been missing in her own upbringing.
Nikki's Aspirations for Her Daughters
Nikki was committed to giving her daughters opportunities she never had. She enrolled them in:
Dance classes
Music lessons
Academic programs to support their education
The twins excelled academically, maintaining straight A's and nurturing dreams of attending Harvard. Nikki spared no expense for her "baby girls," styling their hair, buying them designer clothes, and ensuring they had beautiful shoes. Their closets were filled with name-brand items, and their appearance was always immaculate.
However, the relationship deteriorated when the twins reached high school. Nikki's attempts to establish boundaries—like taking away Taz's phone when she discovered her 14-year-old daughter was communicating with 17-year-old boys—created significant tension. What began as normal teenage rebellion escalated into physical confrontations, with police being called multiple times to the home before the murder occurred.
The Troubled Home Environment
Twin Daughters' Growing Opposition
Nikki Whitehead faced increasingly difficult challenges with her twin daughters Taz and Jazz as they entered their teenage years. The formerly obedient straight-A students began rebelling against their mother's authority when they reached high school. They particularly resented boundaries, especially when Nikki confiscated Taz's cell phone after discovering inappropriate communications with older boys. The enforcement of curfews and restrictions on social activities created significant tension in the household. The twins, who had grown accustomed to more lenient rules when living with their great-grandmother, found their mother's attempts at discipline intolerable.
Parental Control Issues
Nikki struggled to maintain order in the home as the twins became more defiant. One night, she discovered Jazz had sneaked out to meet her boyfriend, prompting a panicked 911 call. Despite providing her daughters with beautiful clothes, immaculate styling, and numerous advantages like dance and music classes, Nikki couldn't overcome their resistance to her parental authority. The situation created a constant power struggle within the household. Family members described the living arrangement as "a living hell" for Nikki, primarily because the twins actively fought against being under her care.
Prior Police Intervention
Officer Myra Scruggs responded to one particularly troubling incident at the Whitehead home following an intense argument. While the twins initially appeared sweet and innocent during her visit, Scruggs noticed something concerning in Nikki's expression - genuine fear of her own children. After Scruggs initially left the scene believing the situation had calmed, she heard screaming and returned to find Nikki being attacked by both daughters. Though the twins claimed their mother had become abusive after the officer left, Scruggs observed scratches on Nikki's neck and chest while the girls showed no signs of injury. Most disturbing to the officer was the twins' unsettling calm following the violent outburst, displaying less emotion than would be expected between strangers. This incident resulted in the twins being taken into custody and charged, followed by court-ordered counseling for the family.
The Murder Investigation
First Concerns Arise
Officer Myra Scruggs responded to a disturbance call at Nikki Whitehead's home following an argument with her 16-year-old twin daughters. Upon arrival, she observed a tense situation between the three family members. The twins appeared calm and sweet during interviews, but something about Nikki's demeanor caught the officer's attention. "She was fearful of those children," Scruggs later recalled, noting how Nikki seemed to recognize her daughters worked together against her.
Instead of leaving the scene after things appeared settled, Officer Scruggs followed her instincts and remained in the vicinity. Within minutes, she heard screaming and returned to find Nikki running from the house with a cordless phone, reporting that her daughters had attacked her. This early incident raised significant concerns about the family dynamics.
Unusual Twin Reactions
Investigators noticed several disturbing behavioral patterns from Tasmia and Jasmia (known as Taz and Jazz) following their mother's murder. During initial questioning, Detective Ken Swift observed the twins comforting each other in ways that seemed inappropriate for the situation, including sharing a kiss. Most shocking was their request to "watch CSI" during their mother's murder investigation.
Their emotional responses appeared manufactured rather than genuine. Officers described their crying as "tearless" and noted they spoke insultingly about their mother during interviews. One twin was even caught deliberately biting her own arm in the police car, claiming she did this when upset.
The twins' demeanor showed a concerning lack of authentic grief:
Calm, controlled behavior
No genuine tears despite apparent crying
Self-harming behavior that seemed performative
Inappropriate requests during questioning
Physical Clues Discovered
The crime scene revealed a brutal attack - Nikki Whitehead had been stabbed approximately 80 times, with her spine nearly severed. The bathroom contained a blood-soaked tub where the body was found. Despite the violent nature of the crime, investigators found the sinks suspiciously clean.
Several key pieces of evidence pointed toward the twins' involvement:
Blood-stained shoes discovered in their closet
A pair of brown boots with "significant amount of blood" found in Taz's bedroom
A clump of hair recovered at the scene
While the twins initially suggested their mother's dating life might be connected to her murder, mentioning two boyfriends named Robert and Joe, the physical evidence at the scene told a different story. The combination of the twins' unusual behavior and the physical evidence found in their possession began steering the investigation in an unexpected direction.
The Unexpected Developments
The Romantic Entanglement Hypothesis
Investigators initially pursued a theory involving Nikki Whitehead's romantic relationships after learning she was simultaneously involved with two men. According to information provided by the twins, Nikki lived with a man named Robert while maintaining a relationship with another boyfriend called Joe. This potential love triangle became an early focus in the investigation when the twins suggested Robert had confronted Nikki after overhearing her speaking with Joe on the phone.
The possibility that jealousy or anger stemming from these complicated relationships might have motivated the brutal crime seemed plausible at first. Detectives considered whether one of these men could have committed the horrific act upon discovering the infidelity.
Investigator's Key Observations
Detective Ken Swift noticed several unusual behaviors that raised immediate concerns about the twins. In one disturbing moment, officers observed one of the twins biting her own arm in the back of the police car. When questioned, she explained this was something she did when upset.
During the interrogation, the twins displayed what officers described as "tearless crying" and spoke about their mother in surprisingly insulting terms. Perhaps most alarming was their unexpected request: "Can we watch CSI?" This comment sent chills down Detective Swift's spine, triggering his suspicion that "something was very, very off" about the situation.
The surveillance footage revealed more peculiar behavior:
Rocking back and forth
Comforting each other in unusual ways
Sharing a kiss in the interrogation room
Critical Physical Evidence
The crime scene examination yielded several suspicious findings. Investigators discovered the bathroom sinks were immaculately clean despite the extreme bloodshed in the bathtub. This suggested someone had deliberately cleaned up after the crime.
In the twins' closet, detectives found:
Shoes with bloodstains
A significant amount of blood on Taz's brown boots
A clump of hair in suspicious circumstances
The forensic evidence appeared increasingly inconsistent with the twins' narrative of discovering their mother's body after returning from school. The carefully cleaned sinks combined with blood-stained footwear painted a different picture than the one Taz and Jazz had presented to authorities.
