A 19-year-old mother, Nalyn Reeves, had twice sought protection orders against her ex-boyfriend, Tarus Giles, before she and another woman, Undrea Willis, 25, were allegedly killed by him in Montgomery, Alabama. Reeves expressed profound fear for her safety and that of her 10-month-old child in court filings.
Reeves first attempted to obtain a protection-from-abuse order in September of the previous year, alleging that Giles had physically assaulted her and threatened her life while she was pregnant. In her filing, she stated, "I am terrified of Tarus. I am afraid that he is eventually going to kill me or, worse, hurt my child."
She further detailed an incident where Giles allegedly beat her for two hours, causing a black eye, knots, and a broken nose. According to court documents, he also threatened her family and made statements that he would kill her when he found her. During another confrontation, Giles reportedly threatened to kill both Reeves and their unborn child, returning with a knife. Reeves escaped that encounter and sought help from a neighbor.
A judge dismissed the first protection order request in November because neither Reeves nor Giles attended the hearing. Reeves made a second attempt to secure a protection order later that same month, after she and Giles had broken up following the birth of their child. She reported an incident during their breakup where Giles allegedly pulled a braid from her head.
Court records indicate that the second protection order was dismissed in April because Giles was never served with the paperwork.
On Monday, police responded to a home where Reeves and Willis were found dead from apparent gunshot wounds. Authorities allege that Giles broke into the living room by way of a window after the women had secured the front door. Both victims were declared dead at the scene. The alleged killings occurred in the presence of their children.
Giles, who was reportedly out on bond for a third-degree burglary charge at the time of the incident, was arrested on Wednesday. He faces multiple charges, including two counts of capital murder in the presence of a child under 14, one count of capital murder of two or more people, and one count of capital murder during a burglary. He is scheduled to appear in court on Friday.