A man from Richland County, South Carolina, has been arrested after police say he killed his wife, who was 7 ½ months pregnant with their first daughter.
Jerrod Graham, 35, is charged with murder and death/injury to child in utero, after 31-year-old Chandreka Graham was found deceased at her home with significant head trauma. At the time of her death, Chandreka was expecting a daughter, whom she had already named Teegan. She also leaves behind a two-year-old son.
Jerrod Graham (Screenshot: WLOS.com)
Chandreka’s father, Harold White, mourned his daughter’s death. “She was a very kind, caring, very free-spirited young woman, very family-oriented and that’s what hurts the most. She was so looking forward to having this baby,” White told WACHFOX News.
White said he was driving home from visiting Chandreka’s great-grandmother when he got the call that his daughter was dead.
“She always told me if I’m not answering my phone I’m doing my job so I took that as that’s what she was doing, so just to find out that I was that close to her and the reason she did not answer the phone was because she was deceased,” he told reporters.
Chandreka’s family said she loved children and had hoped to work in childcare.
“She absolutely loved being a mom,” said Chandreka’s stepmother, Cathy White. “More than anything, she loved being a mom. And she was a great mom.”
Violence during pregnancy is unfortunately very common; homicide is known to be a leading cause of death for pregnant women, and women are more likely to be murdered during pregnancy than they are to die from the three leading obstetric causes of death (high blood pressure disorders, hemorrhage, and sepsis). The majority of these homicide incidents are due to domestic violence situations. According to the Family Violence Prevention Fund, women are more likely to die by homicide while pregnant at the hands of their partner than to die by any other cause.
According to WACHFOX News, Jerrod Graham is being held without bail and will remain in custody until his next court appearance in August.
Editor’s Note: If you are a victim of domestic violence, please visit thehotline.org or call 1-800-799-SAFE.
