Tasmiyah Whitehead, infamously known as one of Georgia’s “Twisted Twins,” was released on parole from Pulaski State Prison on August 5. She had been serving a sentence for the 2010 murder of her mother, Jarmecca “Nikki” Whitehead.
Whitehead was freed after serving 16 years of her sentence, which included pre-trial detention and time served after her conviction. She was eligible for parole since 2017 but was granted it this year. As part of a plea deal, her murder charge was reduced to voluntary manslaughter. She received a 20-year sentence for manslaughter, plus concurrent five-year sentences for possession of a knife during a crime and making false statements to the government.
Her twin sister, Jasmiyah Whitehead, who took the same plea deal, is not eligible for parole until May 2028.
The sisters were teenagers when they stabbed their mother between 50 and 80 times in her Rockdale County home on January 13, 2010, following an argument. According to reports, the fight began when their mother told them they were late for school and had to follow her rules. The twins claimed their mother threatened them with a cooking pot before they attacked her.
Tasmiyah admitted to hitting her mother with a pot and then stabbing her after her sister was bitten. Jasmiyah stated that Tasmiyah stabbed their mother after she bit her sister.
After the attack, the sisters allegedly dragged their mother’s body to the bathtub and submerged her in water. Police believed Jarmecca Whitehead was still alive when they moved her. The twins then went to school, returning later to call the police. Officers initially treated them as victims until investigators uncovered evidence of their involvement.
The sisters initially pleaded not guilty to murder charges but accepted plea deals in 2014. Their grandmother, Lynda Whitehead, expressed anger at the sentences, stating that the court did not seem to value Nikki Whitehead’s life.
Tasmiyah Whitehead is now 33 years old. The sisters gained notoriety as the “Twisted Twins” for the violent nature of the crime committed when they were minors.