Update 2/6/2025: The preliminary hearing of Kaiheem Williams was held on Tuesday as he faces charges of first-degree murder in the death of his girlfriend, Taniyah Bell in November. Taniyah was eight months pregnant at the time. As he arrived in court, Williams was met with Taniyah’s image as two dozen members of her family were in attendance, wearing her face on their clothing and holding a cutout prom picture of her.
Williams, who is just 19 years old, was held for trial on murder and other crimes related to that murder after he allegedly fatally shot Bell, also 19, and seriously wounded their preborn daughter, Miracle. After her mother was shot, Miracle was delivered via emergency C-section and is on life support at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
During the hearing, Williams’ attorney, Eugene Gibbons, said there was no indication that the shooting was premeditated and that the first-degree murder charge should be dismissed.
“There is no evidence of a domestic disturbance or a fight, or even yelling before this took place,” Gibbons said. “I think we can make an inference that this wasn’t something that escalated into a gunshot.”
Assistant District Attorney Danielle Gallaher, however, argued, “If this was an accident, you’d see a firearm next to her. Enough time passed that [Williams] hid the firearm in a way that trained law enforcement officers could not find it.”
There was a .45 caliber bullet in Williams’ pocket at the time of Taniyah’s death and there was a photo on his cellphone taken an hour before he called 911 which showed him in the apartment with a gun nearby. He was allegedly smoking marijuana that night and claimed he “blacked out.”
11/25/2024: A 19-year-old pregnant woman was shot and killed by her boyfriend, who was the father of her preborn baby. Her baby is on life support.
Taniyah Bell was a recent high school graduate, and just weeks away from welcoming a little girl. Her boyfriend, Kaiheem Williams, has been charged with first-degree murder. “The arrest of Kaiheem Williams is a testament to the relentless determination of our officers and the CID Detectives,” Landsowne Police Department Chief Ken Rutherford said in a press release. “Their hard work has brought us one step closer to justice for the victim and her family.”
On November 14, 2024, police arrived at the couple’s shared apartment, where Williams rushed them inside, saying, “My baby is shot,” and led them to Bell’s body, lying on the bed. She had been shot in the head. Williams said he blacked out and couldn’t remember anything after being “fried” after watching television with a friend.
READ: Questions raised over why pregnant woman’s murder isn’t charged as double homicide
Though medics declared Bell dead, she was rushed to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center and, later, to Children’s’ Hospital of Philadelphia, where doctors first tried to save her life, and then delivered her baby. Though the little girl survived, she is allegedly in critical condition due to a lack of oxygen after the shooting. An affidavit likewise said the baby has “minimal neurological brain activity” and is on life support.
The motive for the murder is not yet known; however, pregnant women are known to be at an increased risk of homicide. In fact, homicide is a leading cause of death for pregnant women, who are more likely to die by homicide than to die by any other cause, including all leading health-related causes of maternal death.
Bell’s mother has set up a GoFundMe account to raise money for burial expenses, as well as for the care of her new granddaughter, who remains in critical condition.
Call on President Trump to pardon the FACE Act prisoners on his first day in office.
