A Mississippi man accused of killing his pregnant wife at a Jackson home is being held without bond.
41-year-old Ernest Weems is accused of fatally shooting his wife, 36-year-old Twyla Weems, Monday morning at a home in the 2400 block of South Pine Lea Drive. Twyla Weems was four months pregnant, Hinds County Sheriff Tyree Jones said.
Twyla Weems worked as a payroll specialist for Jackson Public Schools. The school district offered condolences for the family Monday.
Ernest Weems was wearing a protective vest during his initial appearance Tuesday before a judge. Weems said he lives with his wife and two children after the judge asked who else lived in the house with him.
“She was pregnant and carrying a child, so we have two lives that were lost,” said Wendy Mahoney, executive director of the Mississippi Coalition against Domestic Violence.
Ernest Weems seemed confused during the hearing and told the court he didn’t understand why he was charged with murder.
Neighbors said law enforcement officers were familiar with the Weems home on Pine Lea Drive. Records from Hinds County Justice Court show Ernest Weems was charged with domestic violence simple assault in 2018. According to the document, he was throwing items and yelling at his wife while holding their 2-year-old daughter because she would not go over divorce papers with him.
“A lot of times, people don’t realize they are in an abusive relationship,” Mahoney said. “They don’t look at it in that context. They’re thinking, ‘Oh, you know, I know there’s something wrong. We don’t get along all the time.’ But it’s abuse.”
Statistics show that each year, 324,000 pregnant women face domestic violence. Mahoney said doctors should screen pregnant women for signs of domestic abuse.
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