Grandmother Kills Daughter-in-Law in Custody Battle

By Muhammad Saleem

You might have never heard of an elderly woman taking a step out of her love for her grandson, a step so unimaginable that you couldn’t even think of it.  

This woman killed her own daughter-in-law. But the question is, why did she do that? Did her love grow so intense that it crossed all human boundaries?

A Violent Encounter

One day, a woman who was alone with her son was at a mall parking lot, buckling her son in his car seat. Then, as she looked around, a strange man with a moustache was standing right in front of her. Without warning and a single word, he destroyed her world and sent her to another realm with his weapon.  

This woman’s name was Heather, and unfortunately, she was going through a complicated and bitter divorce from her husband, Steven. Their custody battle over their one-year-old son had become so vicious that it was filled with nothing but hate and anger. Both of them had started to loathe each other.

A Deadly Exchange

One day, Heather and Steven agreed to meet outside a local mall parking lot so Steven could hand over their son to Heather for a week. They both arrived at the agreed location, and Heather took their son from Steven, after which Steven drove off. 

After Steven left, Heather adjusted her son in the car and, as soon as she turned around, a man with a mustache appeared! He was holding a weapon, with which he immediately ended Heather’s life.

A Shocking Crime

This happened around six in the evening on a Sunday, and the parking lot was crowded. Many people heard the gunshots and witnessed the horrific scene. 

The police quickly arrived at the scene, and all the witnesses told the police that the shooter was a man with a mustache who approached Heather and shot her. It was so terrifying that no one could believe it. 

The footage from cameras on-site also showed the man with a mustache leaving the parking lot, but the police still had no clue about who this mustached man was. This was the question on everyone’s mind. 

The police started their investigation and called Steven for questioning since he was the last person to have spoken to Heather. However, the police were certain that Steven was not the shooter, as he had already left the scene moments before the incident.

The Investigation Begins

The police interviewed all the witnesses who were present at the spot when the tragic incident took place. Police used the information to create a profile of the suspect, but this sketch didn’t help police identify the culprit, further complicating their investigation. 

As police struggled to find clues, they suddenly received a small lead from a truck driver. He told the police that he had stayed at a hotel near the mall and had noticed a suspicious person in the parking lot the day before the shooting. 

This person had been using binoculars and taking pictures. The truck driver told the police that the suspicious person was driving a white Ford, which he could identify immediately.

A Suspicious Vehicle

The police quickly started investigating Heather’s life to find anyone driving such a vehicle as described by the truck driver. During the investigation, the police discovered that the truck was parked outside Steven’s mother’s house. 

The police immediately took the truck driver to Steven’s mother’s house and showed him the truck. Upon seeing it, the driver immediately confirmed that this was the vehicle driven by the suspicious person.

A Mother’s Suspicious Remarks

Following the truck driver’s testimony, the police immediately called Steven’s mother in for questioning. At first, she refused to cooperate. But after some negotiation, she agreed to speak with the police. During the session, she told them she had nothing to do with the incident.

Then, she made a comment that caught the police’s attention. She said, ‘Heather was a terrible mother, and I’m glad she’s not alive now.’

These remarks made the police even more suspicious that Steven’s mother might be involved in Heather’s killing. However, they still didn’t have enough evidence to arrest her. She was too clever to admit anything.

A Son’s Shocking Realization

The police then thought of a new approach—why not question Steven about his mother? They called Steven again, showing him CCTV footage in which the shooter was seen leaving the parking lot. After seeing the footage, Steven immediately recognized the person and said, “Oh, sh*t!” He now realized that it was his mother.

The Truth Revealed

Now, the police knew that the man with the mustache who shot Heather was none other than Steven’s own mother, Joanna. The police understood that while Steven was in a custody battle with his wife, his mother had planned to kill his wife, probably because she wanted her grandson to stay with them and couldn’t bear seeing Heather victorious. 

So, she disguised herself with a wig, fake mustache, and men’s clothes and went to the mall parking lot to carry out her plan. 

This revelation was a huge shock for Steven. He now knew his mother had killed Heather. The police advised Steven on how to speak to his mother to get the truth. He spoke to her while the police recorded the conversation, telling her, “I’ve been to the police station, and they showed me a video where the person in it looks just like you! You walk like her. Why did you do it?” In response, his mother denied everything.

Justice Served

The police then searched Steven’s mother’s truck and found fibers from the wig and remnants of bullets. There were also bullet marks on the steering wheel. 

All this evidence exposed Steven’s mother’s crime. Based on this evidence, the police immediately arrested her and sent her case to court. 

The court, in light of the evidence, convicted her of Heather’s murder and sentenced Joanna to life imprisonment.