Debra Jeter is an American convict and one woman who could as well be likened to a real-life monster. The mother of two took things far by attacking her daughters, Kiersten and Kelsey Jeter in June 2009. Reportedly, she was going through a divorce process with the girl’s father but chose to end it all when she stabbed the girls in an abandoned house. The sad incident led to the death of the younger one, Kelsey while leaving Kiersten fighting for her life.
Though this incident happened over a decade ago, it has continued to puzzle us and that is why we want to answer your queries about Debra’s private life and what has happened to her since then.
Debra Jeter Had a Seemingly Normal Life
The woman who would become notorious for harming her two children was born in Georgia sometime in the 1970s. Generally, it is believed that her parents are Billy Jeter and Palona Jeter who have both passed away. However, there is no certainty to this.
Debra Janelle Jeter attended local High schools as well as other institutions of learning which we have yet to find their names.
What Did Deborah Do for a Living?
Prior to her crimes, Debra may have had a regular job to support her family. Some sources report that she was a trained nurse who studied at Hill College while others like newsheadlines.com maintain she was a project specialist at West Georgia Technical College. More on her being a nurse, she is said to have been offered admission at Hill College.
Apart from these, there are sources that state she was a part-time employee at Hill College. During her time there, she was an anatomy and physiology tutor.
Trouble Started Looming when Her Husband Filed for Divorce in May 2009
Debra was married to Lester Lee Jeter and they welcomed two children, Kiersten and Kelsey Jeter. The family lived in a one-story house in Texas.
The couple seemed happy but behind the picture of a perfect family, there were many troubles. Things blew over when Lester filed for separation in May 2009. Though the reason for their problems was never revealed, one of their neighbors, Steve Raulston claimed that their home was a noisy place such that he and some other neighbors were forced to call the police on several occasions.
There were reports that Debra had a history of mental health issues. She allegedly spent some time in a mental health facility in 2004 after abusing Kiersten but the charges were later dropped.
After her husband asked for a separation, Debra did not take the entire thing well. She attempted suicide and was subsequently placed on psychiatric evaluation at the DePaul Center in Waco.
She made the attempt with her daughters present in the house. As a result, there was the fear of leaving Kiersten and Kelsey in their mother’s care. Her then-husband filed for divorce and got a temporary restraining order against Debra. According to Lester, he filed for the order because he did not trust his daughter’s safety with Debra.
However, the judge later lifted the restraining order after Debra completed her psychiatric treatment.
It was great news when the girls learned they were going to see their mother. In fact, she told the girls that she had a surprise for them. By the time she picked them up at 6 pm on June 5, 2009, they could not wait to see what surprise ‘mum’ had for them.
She Attacked Her Daughters with a Knife
Shortly after, Debra took the girls to an abandoned house at 215 US Highway 77 where she stabbed them with a knife. Details about the attack showed that she stabbed Kiersten in the back after which the girl started yelling for her sister to run. Unfortunately, Kelsey could not escape Debra as she attacked her and cut her throat.
Following the attacks, Debra made the most chilling 911 call. On the phone, she told the operator that she had killed one of her children and the other was still alive but needed assistance. Also, she pleaded with the operators to tell the cops not to shoot her because she was not armed.
When the police arrived at the scene, they found her lying on the floor unarmed. The murder weapon was found in a car parked outside.
At this point, you may be wondering what pushed her to commit such a heinous crime. Some sources like murderpedia.com allege she did it to get back at Lester while also taking the pain of separation away.
Debra Jeter was Sentenced to Life Imprisonment
Following the attack which led to Kelsey’s death, Debra was arrested. Based on Texas law about killing a child that is less than 15 years old, she was accused of murder and attempted capital murder and this carries the death penalty.
Apparently, Debra did not want to be killed for her crime and she started thinking of ways to escape capital punishment. First, she attempted suicide to deal with the consequences of her action but it failed.
Next, she accepted a plea deal in which she would serve life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. Also, the agreement stopped her surviving daughter from testifying against her.
Rumors About her Death
In recent times, there have been speculations that she may have died in prison. However, we can take these as rumors, since no official reports have been made about her death. Based on this, we can say that she is still serving her sentence.