Debra Jeter made headlines in early June 2009 after she called 911 and calmly told the dispatcher, “I just killed my kids.” What exactly happened?

It’s been almost a decade since Debra Jeter called 911 to confess to killing her two children. Surprisingly, one of her daughters, Kiersten, 13, was still alive and fighting for her life. Despite the fact that her mother, Debra, was a nurse, she refused to nurse her and instead roamed the house waiting for emergency help. The events of that tragic day in June are described here.

Quick Facts

Who is Debra Jeter?

Debra Janelle Jeter is an American woman who rose to fame after she committed the heinous act of murdering her two children. Kiersten and Kelsey Jeter. Sadly, on June 5, 2009, her 12-year-old Kelsey passed away and her 13-year-old Kiersten fought for her life.

Debra Jeter’s age

She was born on November 20, 1962 in Randolph County, Georgia, and is approaching her 61st birthday. Debra Jeter was also born the late Billy and Palona Jeter.

Connection to Lee Jeter

It is not known when Debra and Lester, better known as Lee, started a couple. What is known is that their love story did not end happily as Lee filed for divorce in May 2009.

A neighbor who lived down the street from the Jeters reported that their house was often noisy and they had to call the police several times. While it’s unclear why Lee filed for divorce, it’s clear that the news didn’t sit well with Debra.

As a result, on May 31, 2009, she attempted suicide in front of her two children. Lee filed a restraining order against Debra after the harrowing incident, fearing she would hurt their children.

However, less than three weeks after the restraining order expired, the court gave Debra an unsupervised visitation. Unfortunately, this is the event that endangers the two fragile young girls.

The terrible event

Debra picked up her two daughters from their father on June 5, 2005, claiming to have a surprise for them. According to reports, the two girls were overjoyed to visit and spend time with their mother. Unaware of their mother’s vicious, twisted plans, she drove them to an abandoned farmhouse just off Interstate 35.

Once everyone was inside, Jeter pulled out a knife and attacked Kiersten first, who bravely yelled for her sister to run. But Kelsey’s mother quickly followed her and Kiersten was stabbed in the back while trying to protect her younger sister from the savage attack.

Unfortunately for the two young girls, Debra was no match for them, and she brutally slit Kelsey’s throat. She then also slit the wounded Kiersten’s throat. But she was alive and asked her mother to call for help, which she didn’t, despite being a registered nurse.

The terrifying 911 call

Jeter called 911 after completing the murder and told the dispatcher that she had just killed her children. She went on to say that one of them was dead, but the other wanted to be rescued and needed emergency services.

While on the phone, you could hear Jeter assure the injured Kiersten and beg the operator not to shoot her because she didn’t have a gun. Deputies arrived to find Debra with hands raised and the murder weapon on the roof of a neighboring vehicle. She was detained and immediately placed on suicide watch at the Hill County Law Enforcement Center.

Debra Jeter’s sentence

The mother of two was charged with murder and attempted capital murder, and her bail was set at $1.5 million by the court. In May 2010, she pleaded guilty to the charges and accepted a plea deal that earned her life in prison without the possibility of parole. The plea saved her from the death penalty and kept her daughter Kiersten from testifying about her mother’s brutality.

What motivated Debra Jeter?

She allegedly told her ex-husband Lester that she assaulted the children because she was angry with him over their ongoing divorce and custody disputes. She went on to say that she did not want her children to go through the pain of both incidents. Lester stated that Debra believed taking everyone’s grief was the best way to handle the circumstances.

Is Debra Jeter still alive?

There is no conclusive evidence of her death, despite suspicions that she committed suicide while serving her sentence in a Texas Department of Criminal Justice prison unit in Gatesville. Lee, her ex-husband, found love again and remarried.

What happened to Kiersten Jeter?

Kiersten went underground after surviving the murderous attack at her mother’s hands and has lived a quiet life away from media attention.

What is the title of Debra Jeter’s Netflix movie?

Little information about the case is available on Debra Jeter’s numerous social media profiles. On the other hand, if you watch the 2022 Netflix original movie Case and Survived Daughter Kiersten, you’ll get to see the whole story of Debra Jeter.

Debra Jeter made headlines after she seriously murdered one of the girls and assaulted the other, aiming to kill both. When the sad circumstances unfolded, she looked at her two daughters for the first time since a restraining order against her was lifted.