What Happened To Kiersten Jeter & Where is She Now? Explore Debra Jeter Daughter Interview

Kiersten Jeter was killed by her mother, Debra Jeter, 32, who slit the throats of both of her kids in an abandoned house off of Interstate 77 in Hillsboro, Texas, on June 5, 2009. There have been warning indications for several years. Debra Jeter was accused of physically abusing her older daughter, Kiersten, in 2004, but the charges were dismissed after Debra Jeter underwent mental health therapy.

Lester Lee Jeter filed court proceedings to divorce his wife, Debra, in May 2009 for unknown reasons. Debra Jeter attempted suicide on May 22 in front of her two girls, whom she had with Lester Jeter, after reacting badly to the separation. Debra was placed in a mental health center for the time being. Lester Lee Jeter filed for divorce, acquired a temporary restraining order, and was given temporary custody of his two children the day following Debra’s suicide attempt while she was still in the hospital.

Jeter sisters; Kelsey Leanne, 12 (died) Kiersten Leigh, 13 (survived) mother slit their throats http://t.co/Q8dOfONI pic.twitter.com/0I3g62MD

— Linda Turner (@daehlin) April 3, 2012

Lester Lee Jeter said in court documents that he was seeking custody “to protect the safety and well-being of the children and anyone else who has been a victim of Jeter’s family violence.” He added that he was seeking custody “to protect the safety and well-being of the children the others who has been harmed by Jeter’s domestic violence.” The day after her release, a judge removed the restraining order, allowing her unsupervised visits while a hearing was held. On that Friday, June 5, 2009, the first court-ordered visitation was scheduled.

After being released from the hospital, Debra Jeter made plans to see her two daughters and they were driven to an abandoned residence off Interstate 77 in Milford, just before Route 35.

According to reports, Jeter began by attacking Kiersten with a knife. As she battled with her mother, Kiersten yelled for her sibling to run. As a result, Debra’s attention turned away from Kiersten and Kelsey.

While attempting to defend her sister, Kiersten was stabbed in the back. Unfortunately, these measures failed, and Debra slit Kelsey’s throat, killing her in the abandoned house’s bathroom. Debra returned to Kiersten and severed her airway and one of her main arteries by cutting her from one side of her neck to the other.

Despite her severe injuries, she remained alive and conscious, begging her mother for assistance. Debra Jeter called the police three hours after picking up her children to report the crime, stating, “I just slaughtered my children.”

Despite being a nursing student, Debra Jeter did not attend to her daughter and instead wandered about the abandoned house, pleading with the ambulance to hurry up, claiming that her daughter who survived was “begging to be saved and she couldn’t bear it.” She went on to tell the dispatcher that she didn’t have a gun and that she didn’t want the cops to shoot her.

Sadly, Kelsey, who loved books and was quiet, did not survive the attack. After being discovered in the abandoned house’s bedroom, Kiersten was airlifted for immediate emergency surgery and survived. Debra justified her horrible conduct by claiming she was “heartbroken” by her divorce and child custody struggle. “If she felt that way, then we all must feel that way,” Debra reasoned, “and she wanted to take away all of our sadness,” according to her ex-husband, Lester Lee Jeter.

Debra Jeter was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on May 27, 2010, after accepting a plea deal in which she admitted to capital murder and attempted capital murder. Her surviving daughter was spared from having to testify in court due to the plea deal, which avoided the potential of a death sentence.