Philadelphia hard of hearing woman stabbed to death by boyfriend
[Transcript] A hard of hearing woman Kimberly Wescott (32), from Philadelphia, was stabbed to death by her hearing boyfriend, 26, in an apparent domestic violence attack.
Police has identified the boyfriend as Rashall Jenkins.
Local news reported that Wescott was staying at a friend’s house with her kid because of domestic violence problems she was experiencing with her boyfriend.
Police said that Jenkins somehow got in the house and stabbed Wescott multiple times in the head, neck, and torso. Investigators said that there were three kids (ages 11 to 13) who were in the house during the time. One of the kids belong to Wescott. Jenkins is not the father of that kid.
After the stabbing, Jenkins fled the scene. Family members of Westcott suspected it was Jenkins and led police to his home, where he was arrested. Jenkins has multiple charges including murder and corruption of minors.
We did ask the police in Port Richmond to explain what corruption of minors meant for Jenkins’ situation. The police said they are not able to specify it since it is still under investigation. One possible reason is because Jenkins killed Wescott while the kids were in the house.
On Facebook, several of Wescott’s friends expressed grief and shared how much of a wonderful person she was. We reached out to a few of her friends.
A friend named Victoria posted a Facebook status about her. With her permission, we will show a screenshot of what she said.
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[Facebook Post]
With my heavy heart, I am at loss for words. A childhood friend of mine passed away last night because of the domestic violence. I pray for Kim’s family including her daughter and her daughter’s father. I wanted to share what important lessons I learned from my homegirl in our early teen years were to show confidence and kindness. I remember all good memories with her and she will be remembered as always in my heart. Kim NicholeMissKimi Kim #domesticviolenceissoreal
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Victoria mentioned that Wescott was really a social butterfly.
Another friend mentioned that she was such a funny and sweet person. This friend saw her last year at church and said she seemed to be doing fine. This friend also mentioned that Wescott really had no bad bone. She really loved everyone even if some people did not like her, she still would love them back. She said it is really shocking to know this.
We have also reached out to DAWN, a non-profit organization that provides services to deaf and deaf blind survivors of abuse in the DC metro area to share a comment.
Rosina Garcia, a survivor resource specialist, explains the danger of when a survivor leaves a domestic violence relationship.
Rosina: This is not new. There are numerous cases that occur all over the United States and of course, the world. In terms of domestic violence, we have researched the statistics and have found that the risk of abuse substantially increases when one leaves an abusive relationship. Why and how does this happen? The purpose of domestic violence comes down to control and power. Now, usually when a person causes harm to another person whom they are dating, it is because the abuser doing the harming is claiming control and power over the other person. Now, when the other person has had enough, has decided to leave ending the relationship, the abuser loses power and control previously held over years or whatever length of time. Losing this power tends to deeply upset the abuser and the abuser will react with even more violence. The purpose of this response is to make sure the other person comes back and stays with the abuser. The other person might be forced to completely disappear.
Thank you for sharing. DAWN mentioned that those who plan to leave should develop a safety plan. You can reach out to DAWN or ADWAS or other DV/SA advocacy organizations for advice. There is a 24/7 ASL hotline, the link is in the transcript.
A third friend of Wescott said that the community in Philadelphia will always remember who she was and how much she really loved to be around people.
ADWAS link:
https://www.adwas.org/hotline/national/
DAWN link:
http://deafdawn.org
https://6abc.com/police-man-stabs-girlfriend-to-death-in-port-richmond/5510726/
https://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/video/4158245-woman-stabbed-to-death-inside-port-richmond-home-police/
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