What led to Jessica Edens a Greenville, South Carolina woman shooting dead her two children and self? Mother murdered estranged husband’s girlfriend hours before.
Jessica Edens a 36 year old Greenville, South Carolina mother of two was on Thursday found dead in the her SUV alongside the bodies of her two young children in a suspected murder suicide. Just hours before the woman had killed her estranged husband’s girlfriend.
The deaths come as the estranged wife and mother had been embroiled in a custody battle over one of the children with her former spouse, with Edens having previously complained that her husband, Benjamin Edens had been having an affair for the past year.
A report via WLOS cited the girlfriend, Meredith Rahme, 28 reporting having received ‘harassing text messages’ and phone calls from Edens in the weeks before the shooting.
During a Friday press conference, Greenville Police Chief Ken Thomas announced Edens fatally shooting Meredith Leigh Rahme, in downtown Greenville circa 5pm, Thursday, whilst she sat in her car.
At the time of the shooting, the wife’s 9 year old son, Hayden and 5 year old daughter, Harper were in the back of the mother’s SUV reported WYFL4.
Circa two hours later, the 36 year old wife and owner of a thriving photography business killed her two children before also shooting herself dead. All three bodies were found in the still running SUV in Easley, the mother’s place of address, 7 miles away from downtown.
A .40-caliber handgun was found inside the SUV, the same handgun that had been used to kill Rahme.
Noted the Greenville Online: ‘The Jeep was backed up against a chain link fence. The doors were locked, and the engine was running when deputies arrived and saw three unresponsive people inside,’
Adding, ‘Each had been shot once near the head or neck area.’
Of note, a report via the dailymail told of Rahme being the target of an anonymous online attack posted on Wednesday and since deleted.
Read the post, ‘This little girl has no self respect and no morals. She dates married men who have children and she doesn’t even want or like kids,’
‘Her character speaks enough for her. Remember homewrecker, that karma is a b—h, just like you. You will get what you deserve,’ the screed went on, posted to a website that ostensibly identifies ‘homewreckers’.
A day before the murders, Edens’ estranged husband had called Easley police asking them to check on their daughter after received a text message from his estranged wife
The officer who went to the mother’s home, whereupon they found the family planning to eat popcorn and watch a movie. One of the children was speaking to the husband, according to the police report.
The officer asked Edens if there was any chance of her getting back with her husband, with the wife in turn responding she planned to expose the man’s yearlong affair in court.
Home of Jessica Edens in Easley, where she lived with her two children, Hayden, 9, and Harper, 5. pic.twitter.com/Kxiz6ICKGo
— Anna Lee (@annazlee) July 14, 2017
During the press conference, Thomas revealed Rahme worked with Edens’ husband. The police chief declined giving any other details about their relationship.
Thomas said authorities had no indication Edens was planning violence before the shooting.
Reiterated Thomas, ‘There is some indication that about the time of the custody decision that she had some sense of inflicting violence either on the children or on herself or both. But that wasn’t discovered until after she was discovered last night’.
Greenville investigators are trying to determine if Edens was waiting on Rahme or followed her into the parking garage under the apartments. Rahme was found dead in the driver’s seat of her car, authorities said.
Thomas said the tragedy of the shooting touched several families.
‘It is important to remember there are fathers who have lost children to this senseless violence and our heart goes out to them,’ Thomas said.
A regard of Jessica Edens’ photography business (still up) noted the following, ‘a Greenville, SC based photographer, a mother of two precious children, and a wife to the most wonderful man.’
