The mother of two who killed her husband’s mistress, her own two children, and herself earlier this month was intent on punishing her cheating husband.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Jessica Edens, 36, shot and killed Meredith Rahme, 28, in a parking garage in Greenville, South Carolina, on July 13 before shooting her children and then herself in her parked SUV.
The Pickens County Sheriff’s Office released a media statement Tuesday detailing the day of the murder-suicide. Investigators believe that Edens shot 9-year-old son, Hayden King, and 5-year-old daughter, Harper Edens, before she called her husband for the last time. Ben Edens was reportedly with law enforcement at the time of the call.
According to the statement, Edens had stolen a gun from her parent’s home while they were out of town the day before the murder-suicide.
The suspect and her husband were estranged, and Jessica Edens believed her husband had been involved with Rahme for a year before the murder. She reportedly made a threatening social media post about Rahme the day before, calling her a “homewrecker,” which has since been deleted.
The sheriff’s statement reports that Edens was distraught about a court proceeding in the days before the killing:
The Sheriff’s Office has reviewed telephone records obtained via search warrants that have confirmed that Mrs. Edens became distraught following a family court preceding that was held earlier the same week prior to the Thursday shootings.
Texts messages and other written content clearly indicate that Mrs. Edens developed a plan in the next couple of days that she felt would cause everlasting consequences for her husband, Benjamin Edens.
A passing motorist reported seeing the SUV parked on the side of the road. Police arrived to find the three dead bodies inside the locked vehicle, as the engine was running.
In the statement, the sheriff’s office urged anyone having a mental health crisis to contact authorities:
“’Please reach out to law enforcement so that we can be the bridge to lead you to a road of recovery. In time, you will see that all things come to pass and you too can become a stronger person with hope and faith in a brighter future.”
Featured Image: Facebook/WYFF/Police Handout
