The Mother Who Slit Her Daughter's Throats

“I just killed my daughters,” Texas mother Debra Jeter screamed into the phone to the 9-1-1 operator while calling the woman names and scolding her all while urging her to get an ambulance to the home to save the daughter who was still alive.

“One of them is dead,” Jeter tells the dispatcher. “But the other one wants to be saved… She’s asking to be saved, and I couldn’t handle that. She’s bled out a lot. She might die,” Jeter continued.

“Get an ambulance out here to save the one that didn’t die. C’mon, hurry up.” 

“Bitch, call them! Have you already called them?”

Debra Jeter had killed one of her daughters and left the other fighting for her life during her first visit with them after 15 days in a psychiatric hospital. A judge ordered Jeter into the facility after she attempted suicide when her husband, Lester, filed for divorce.

Debra and Lester’s marriage had been riddled with turmoil for some time. Both people were unhappy, their misery shown in their constant arguments. Debra spent time in a mental health facility in 2004 after allegedly abusing her daughters, although the charges were later dropped.

Neighbors repeatedly called the police on the couple after hearing heated arguments and threats between them.

After releasing her from the hospital, the judge in the case granted Debra unsupervised visits with 12-year-old Kelsey and 13-year-old Kiersten. Kelsey was so excited to see her mom, she posted about it on Facebook the day before the visit.

“I get to see my mom tomorrow! Yah!!” her post read.

The First Visit

Around 6 p.m. on Friday, June 9, 2009, Debra Jeter drove to her former home to pick up the girls for their visit. She told the girls she had a special surprise for them before heading to an abandoned ranch house in  Mildford, a rural area near Waco.

Debra walked the girls into the bathroom, locked the door, and took a knife from her pocket. She grabbed Kiersten and began slashing her back and neck.

As she struggled with her mother, Kiersten yelled for her sister to run. Debra released Kiersten and chased after Kelsey, slicing her throat when she caught her. Kelsey died instantly.

A Shocking 9-1-1 Call

Around 9 p.m., Debra called 9-1-1. She never attempted to help her daughter who lay bleeding profusely on the floor, screaming in horrific pain.

As paramedics and police arrived, Jeter stood outside the house with her hands in the air. A knife was lying on the roof of a nearby car. First responders found Kiersten sprawled out on the bathroom floor, bloodied, in pain, and clinging to life. They found Kelsey nearby, deceased.  

Life in Prison

Debra was taken into custody while Kiersten was airlifted to Parkland Hospital in Dallas where she underwent lifesaving surgery. She survived and is now 28 years old.

Debra admitted that she attacked her daughters and murdered Kelsey, claiming she could not cope emotionally after her husband filed for divorce knowing her family was falling apart.

She accepted a plea deal to avoid a possible death sentence and was sentenced to life without parole.

Before her transfer to Gainesville Prison, Debra met with Lester and her surviving daughter. She told Letster she still hated him but was sorry for what she had done.

Described by one of her teachers as smart and quiet, Kelsey enjoyed reading books and playing flute in the band. According to her obituary, she was a happy and outgoing girl who left an impression on everyone she met.

Rest in Peace, Kelsey Jeter. I hope Kiersten is doing well.

Sources:

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/38390525/kelsey_leanne-jeter#:~:text=Kelsey%20Leanne%20Jeter%2C%2012%2C%20of,band%20and%20was%20first%20chair. 

https://murderpedia.org/female.J/j/jeter-debra.htm 

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