She killed her father and daughter to be with her boyfriend: The Unthinkable Crime of Cheyenne Jesse

After a mother reported her father and young daughter missing, authorities started a frantic search.

Their aim was to locate them safe and sound.

However, the truth behind Cheyenne Jesse's missing persons report was far more sinister than anyone could have expected. 

What started as a routine missing persons case in August 2015 swiftly turned into one of the most tragic and disturbing criminal investigations in recent memory.

The discovery of two brutally murdered bodies, hidden way in trash, exposed a hidden web of lies, despair and abuse. 

Cheyenne Jesse

A Troubled Past: The Making of Cheyenne Jesse

Cheyenne Jesse was born in Florida in 1990.

Her early life was marked by an unimaginable amount of abuse and hardship. 

As a young child, she endured severe physical and sexual abuse, primarily at the hands of her mother. 

At just four years old, after repeated instances of abuse, authorities intervened.

 Cheyenne was finally removed from her mother's care. 

She was placed in the custody of her father, Mark Ivan Weekley, in hopes that a change in her environment would give her a fresh start.

While this change offered some stability, it wasn’t enough to undo the damage caused by years of trauma. 

As Cheyenne grew, she struggled with her mental health.

She was eventually diagnosed with bipolar disorder. 

Despite the trauma she had endured, she pushed through life, growing into adulthood and trying to maintain some semblance of normalcy.

By the age of 25, Cheyenne was raising her own daughter, 6-year-old Meredith Jesse. 

Life as a single mother was difficult. 

Meredith had severe behavioral problems, which required inpatient psychiatric care at one point.

This situation created ongoing stress for Cheyenne.

Cheyenne's personal life wasn't easy either. 

She had a boyfriend, Matthew Monroe, also known as Cody, but their relationship was tumultuous. 

The pressures of raising a child with behavioral issues, combined with her own mental health struggles, created an overwhelming environment for Cheyenne.

Frustrated by the situation, Cody expressed his wish to end the relationship, sending Cheyenne into an emotional spiral.

Cheyenne Jesse and her daughter

A Desperate Act: The Shocking Discovery of Two Murders

On the morning of August 1, 2015, Cheyenne Jesse made a call to the police.

She reported that her father and daughter were missing. 

She claimed that the two might have gone to Georgia.

However, the police quickly became suspicious and their investigation led them to a shocking discovery.

Cheyenne's father and daughter were not in Georgia; they were dead and hidden just half a mile away in a storage shed on the landlord's property.

A foul odor coming from Cheyenne's home immediately raised suspicion among detectives during their investigation. 

When she was asked about the smell, Cheyenne claimed it was the smell of a dead racoon.

The police quickly discovered that the smell wasn’t from a dead raccoon, as Cheyenne had claimed, but from the decomposing bodies of Mark Weekley and Meredith Jesse.

As the investigation unfolded, Cheyenne's story began to fall apart. 

Police found bloodstains in the home, and the bodies were discovered to have been violently murdered. 

The gruesome details of their deaths left the community in shock. 

It became clear that this was not a case of a missing person, but rather a brutal double homicide.

Authorities soon learned that Cheyenne had killed both her father and daughter. 

They also discovered that her motive for the murders was to gain freedom and start a new life with her boyfriend, Cody.

The investigation revealed that Cheyenne had gone to extreme lengths to cover up her actions. 

After killing her father, someone had used Mark’s phone to send messages to Cheyenne’s boyfriend, pretending to be Mark. 

The texts said that Mark had only a year to live and wanted to spend that time with his granddaughter, Meredith. 

The messages even gave Cheyenne and Cody permission to take over Mark's house, essentially eliminating the obstacles in her path.

Cheyenne later claimed that the murders had been committed in self-defense. 

She said that her father attacked her with a knife, and during the struggle, she accidentally killed her daughter. 

But the evidence didn’t support her claim. 

Investigators found that both victims had been intentionally stabbed and shot, pointing to premeditation rather than self-defense. 

The victims

A Desperate Cover-Up: The Investigation Unfolds

As the police dug deeper into Cheyenne's actions, they uncovered more evidence of her attempts to hide the murders.

After killing Mark and Meredith, Cheyenne had placed their bodies into storage bins and hidden them in a shed, where they remained for almost two weeks. 

During that time, the bodies decomposed in the sweltering heat of a Florida summer. 

The horrific nature of the crime left investigators grappling with the brutality of Cheyenne’s actions.

Forensic evidence confirmed the chilling details of the murders. 

Mark had been stabbed 12 times and shot three times in the head, while Meredith had been repeatedly stabbed and shot in the back of the head. 

The murders had occurred several weeks earlier, likely on July 18, 2015, the last day anyone had seen either victim alive. 

In 2021, with the mounting evidence against her, Cheyenne eventually confessed to the murders.

After her confession, Cheyenne's defense attorneys tried to shift the blame onto her boyfriend, Cody

They argued that Cody was the true perpetrator and that Cheyenne had confessed out of fear of him.

Cheyenne Jesse

Justice for the Victims: A Life Behind Bars

During the trial, Cheyenne's mental health became a central focus. 

As a result, the jury recommended a life sentence for the murder of her daughter, Meredith, and suggested the death penalty for the murder of her father.

In the end, the judge opted for a life sentence without the possibility of parole for both murders.

Cheyenne Jesse’s sentencing took place in a nearly empty courtroom, with no family members from either side attending the hearing. 

The lack of support highlighted the isolation and loneliness Cheyenne had brought upon herself. 

Though the court recognized her mental health struggles, it couldn’t excuse the brutality of her actions. 

In the end, Cheyenne was sentenced to life in prison, ensuring she would spend the rest of her days behind bars. 

In another case, a woman tricked her fiancé into killing his lover and her entire family.

See more details of that case here.

Source

Source