John Jefferson
Left inset: Taylor Rawlins (obituary). Right inset: Jennifer Heathcoe (Mobile County Sheriff’s Office). Main: Heathcoe appears in court wearing a mask and jail clothes (WKRG).
As an attorney for a 31-year-old Mobile, Alabama, stepmother, along with her father, maintain that she fatally stabbed her boyfriend in the chest while his kids were inside their apartment two weeks ago in an act of self-defense, prosecutors in Mobile County appear to be leaning heavily on a 911 call to establish “consciousness of guilt” and prove that the slaying was a murder.
At this point, no one is disputing that Jennifer Nicole Heathcoe stabbed and killed 33-year-old Taylor Rawlins on the night of Aug. 22 at his apartment and that his children were at the residence at the time, but Heathcoe has pleaded not guilty and her lawyer has claimed the defendant was in a “tumultuous” and “violent relationship,” leaving her feeling she had no choice but to defend herself with a knife.
In addition, her father Donald Cain has reportedly spoken publicly about the case and he agreed “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 said, local CBS affiliate WKRG reported.
But the self-defense claims appear to have a major obstacle, as questions have been raised about what was said and why during 911 calls made to report the Charleston Apartments stabbing.
Rawlins’ 9-year-old daughter, in a desperate attempt to save her dad’s life, called 911 while in her room and initially identified Heathcoe, her stepmom, as the one who stabbed him, according to call transcript details reported local Fox affiliate WALA.
“My stepmom stabbed my dad,” the girl reportedly said. “[P]lease come quick! My daddy is gonna die.”
Moments later — and this is apparently of great interest to the Mobile County District Attorney’s Office — Heathcoe was allegedly heard on the call coaching the girl to blame the stabbing on someone other than her.
In comments aired on WALA, DA Keith Blackwood said Heathcoe appeared to be “telling the child that’s calling to say that it wasn’t her” to “minimize” her “involvement in this murder case,” potentially indicating “consciousness of guilt” not justified self-defense.
Heathcoe reportedly made a 911 call of her own that night and said that there was a “dispute” prior to the stabbing.
“Yes, there was just this uh, a dispute and… I got you baby. I got you no you’re not. Breathe for me,” Heathcoe allegedly said as Rawlins died, before again suggesting someone else stabbed him.
“They ran out immediately,” the defendant allegedly added.
An obituary for Rawlins said that he had a “boundless love and devotion” for his two children, a “deep connection to his mother,” as her only child, and had 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,” the obit said.
As of Thursday, Mobile County Jail records show Heathcoe remains in custody without bond, since she’s also accused in Daphne of failing to appear in court for a pending domestic violence case stemming from a bar parking lot fight months ago with Rawlins.
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