Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of murder and assault. Reader discretion is advised.
In April 2017, Donovan Nicholas reported the death of 40-year-old Heidi Fay Taylor, his father’s girlfriend who had raised him. He called 911 and reported the murder. Donovan Nicholas claimed Jeff the Killer, a personality inside him, had killed Taylor. He stabbed Taylor 60 times before he shot and killed her. The police immediately charged him with the aggravated murder.
Before he stabbed and killed Heidi Fay Taylor, Donovan Nicholas carved a giant grin on his face using a blade. He wore a white T-shirt and black pants on the day of the murder, which occurred at the family’s two-story farmhouse in Urbana, Ohio, according to ABC News. He hid near the front staircase of his home and waited with a kitchen knife until Taylor arrived downstairs. Once she did, he stabbed her multiple times.
After stabbing her several times, Donovan Nicholas, who believes it was Jeff the Killer who attacked Taylor, went to the kitchen to get some water. During this time, Taylor rushed upstairs to grab her phone. Nicholas noticed this and got hold of his father’s 9 mm handgun from the nightstand. He shot her once.
Donovan Nicholas called Heidi Fay Taylor “mom.” Earlier, she reportedly took away his phone after she found out that he had exchanged inappropriate messages with his girlfriend. ABC News reported that the prosecution argued he might have sunken into “homicidal fantasies” after he started resenting her for taking away his phone. The prosecution dismissed his claims that Jeff the Killer was another personality within him.
As per Springfield News-Sun, juvenile psychologist Daniel Hrinko diagnosed Nicholas with dissociative personality disorder. This condition explained the personality of Jeff the Killer that he claimed was controlling him.
Jeff the Killer: How old was Donovan Nicholas when he killed his Heidi Fay Taylor?
Donovan Nicholas was only 14 years old at the time of Heidi Fay Taylor’s murder. He was attending the Graham Middle School and was charged with the murder of Taylor.
Springfield News-Sun reported that in 2018, the Champaign County Juvenile Court transferred Donovan Nicholas’ case to the adult court. He maintained that it was Jeff the Killer who killed Taylor. The court subsequently convicted Nicholas. The court sentenced him to life in prison and eligibility for parole after 25 years. After that, Ohio’s highest court overthrew the sentence and reversed the decision to transfer Nicholas to the adult court. The Second District Court of Appeals had initially transferred the case.
According to Springfield News-Sun, Ohio Revised Code allows the judges in juvenile courts to transfer the cases to the adult court based on certain factors. Community safety is an important factor. Probable cause suggesting that the accused, who must be at least 14 years of age, is guilty is another one. If the judge believes that the accused, if proven guilty, is not amenable to the care of the juvenile system, then the transfer may be initiated. However, Nicholas’ claims about Jeff the Killer made the details of the case fairly vague.
Donovan Nicholas stood by his statement that the alternate personality Jeff the Killer killed Heidi Fay Taylor. He expressed his interest in getting appropriate treatment. According to People, Todd Taylor, the victim’s 25-year-old son, took some time to fully comprehend what had happened to his mother and reportedly remains skeptical about Nicholas’ claims about Jeff the Killer.
