The Murder of Heidi Taylor
For this case, I watched two separate YouTube videos created by Christina Randall and True Crime Stories, which I will link in the sources section.
An argument between a 14-year-old boy and his mom leads to a shocking 911 call.
Background
Donovan Nicholas grew up in Urbana, Ohio, a small town in Champaign County. Donovan never had a relationship with his birth mother because his parents split when he was a baby. His father, Shane was granted full custody of him.
In 2005, Shane reconnected with a woman named Heidi Taylor, whom he had known since the 1990s. They began dating and moved in together. They never married, but Heidi raised Donovan and had two children of her own, Alyssa and Todd.
Heidi was described as an amazing mother and grandmother. She had treated Donovan like he was one of her own, and Donovan called her mom. Alyssa and Todd eventually moved out of the house and started their own families, and Shane traveled for work. Donovan and Heidi were often left in the house alone.
Heidi Taylor
Heidi with Donovan when he was younger
The Text Messages
On April 6, 2017, Donovan was texting with a girl he started a relationship with online. Donovan was 14 at the time.
Heidi was doing things around the house and ended up taking Donovan’s phone from him. She discovered that Donovan had been exchanging intimate photos with this girl. Heidi took Donovan’s phone away and said they would be discussing this with Shane when he returned home.
Donovan was pissed at Heidi. They got into a huge argument. Donovan walked off but snuck into the kitchen while Heidi returned to her housework. Donovan grabbed a knife and went to hide in one of the bedrooms of the home.
Heidi walked into the room and was stabbed by Donovan about 60 times. Donovan also grabbed a gun from his parent’s bedroom and shot Heidi once in the head.
Donovan ended up stabbing himself in the leg during the attack and couldn’t walk. He called 911 to ask for help for himself.
An Angry Teen or Mental Illness?
On the 911 call, Donovan admitted that he had killed his mom. Just a few seconds later, he said Jeff had killed his mom, and that he was scared because Jeff was inside him.
Jeff the Serial Killer is a fictional creepypasta character that was created around 2011. Jeff was a 13-year-old boy who was severely bullied, burned, and disfigured by his bullies. After he was attacked and disfigured, Jeff went on a killing spree. He killed his parents and bullies and made himself look like the Joker so that he never had to frown again.
Donovan learned about Jeff the Killer and became infatuated. In the 911 call, when he was asked why “Jeff” had killed his mom, Donovan said Jeff became tired of Heidi. He then said Heidi always ignored him, was on drugs, and had once hit him.
Donovan was arrested and brought to the police station. The police didn’t believe anything that Donovan was saying.
Donovan Nicholas and Jeff the Killer
The Trial
Before his trial, Donovan was assessed by two forensic psychologists. Both of them suggested that Donovan was mentally ill. One of them suggested that Donovan had DID (dissociative identity disorder), and the other said he had a depressive disorder.
The jury didn’t believe anything that Donovan had said either and found him guilty of murder. He was sentenced to 25 years to life.
Donovan’s case was tried in the juvenile court but moved to adult court because the juvenile court couldn’t properly try the case due to the mental illness aspect.
Donovan’s defense team was able to overturn his conviction. In December 2022, he was sent back to juvenile court.
In 2023, Donovan pled guilty to aggravated murder. Once he turned 21 in July, Donovan was released. He was picked up from jail by his stepbrother, Todd, and father, Shane.
Other
Todd told Donovan that he loved him but did not want a relationship with him. Alyssa believes that Donovan should have never been released and doesn’t want a relationship with him either.
FINAL THOUGHTS
A part of me believes that Donovan was suffering from something, and another part believes that Donovan knew what he was doing when he killed Heidi. I think Donovan wanted to hurt someone and based on how he spoke about Heidi, I think it was inevitable that it was her. Heidi seemed like a lovely person and I don’t think she was horrible like Donovan said. She could be strict according to her family and friends, but so are a lot of parents. It’s crazy that Donovan was released so early, and I hope he doesn’t hurt anyone else.
Sources
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gWujBlBnCo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NX9ROL29Y3w
https://www.courtnewsohio.gov/cases/2022/SCO/1202/201429.asp
https://www.urbanacitizen.com/2023/07/07/murderer-to-be-freed-july-9/
