On Jan. 13, teenaged twins claimed they arrived home from school and found their mother stabbed to death in her Conyers home.
On Friday, the girls were arrested and charged with killing her.
Jarmeca "Nikki" Whitehead, 34, was stabbed multiple times and beaten, police said. Days after the beautician was killed, investigators announced they were looking for "persons of interest" based on witness descriptions.
Her daughters, Jasmiyah and Tasmiyah, are now believed to have killed the woman, Conyers police Chief Gene Wilson told the AJC.
One teen was arrested at a relative's home in Clarkston, Wilson said. The other was arrested at Tucker High School. Both were denied bond at their first court appearance Friday.
"They're going to be tried as adults," Wilson said.
Nikki Whitehead's boyfriend of 10 years, Robert Head, told the AJC that he wasn't surprised by the girls' arrests. He also said it wasn't the twins' idea to kill their mother, but they they were coerced by a family member and possibly bribed.
"A grown-up had to help plan it," Head said Friday night. "They loved their mom. They got caught up in a bad situation."
Head said his girlfriend was studying fashion design, and had planned to travel to New York City for one of her classes. At times, the woman felt helpless and was manipulated by family members, Head said. He says money may have been the reason the girls were told to kill their mother.
