Man Who Beheaded Child’s Mother in 2012 Admits Guilt After 13 Years of Denial

KINGSTON, Jamaica — After more than a decade of denial, 61-year-old Trevor Taffe, the former Coronation Market vendor, has finally admitted to the brutal 2012 murder of Nicole Heron, the mother of his child, whose body was found in a septic tank at his home in Havendale, St Andrew.

For 13 years, Taffe insisted he was innocent, even securing a Court of Appeal ruling for a retrial in 2022. However, in a stunning reversal last December, he broke down and confessed during preparations for his retrial. On Thursday, Supreme Court Justice Leighton Pusey sentenced him to an additional 17 years at hard labour, bringing his total time behind bars to 30 years.

Justice Pusey, in delivering the sentence, said the court considered Taffe’s guilty plea, the impact of a retrial on Heron’s family, and his age in deciding the final term.

“I am aware of the facts, not just from the file but also from the victim impact statement, of how difficult this has been for the family,” Justice Pusey said. “This is a very difficult matter, because when someone is murdered in a family like this, it’s not just the victim who suffers—it’s the entire family.”

He also condemned Taffe’s years of deception, stating that he lived a “continued fiction” regarding the crime while knowing the truth all along.

Taffe, who was originally sentenced to life imprisonment with parole eligibility after 20 years, will now be released in his late 70s.

On April 3, 2012, 26-year-old Nicole Heron left her mother’s house to visit Taffe, with whom she had a four-year relationship. She never returned.

Days later, Taffe gave conflicting stories to Heron’s family, at one point saying she was at his house, then claiming she had left for a stage show in Ocho Rios.

However, on May 5, 2012, a burnt pile of Heron’s clothing, bag, and hairpiece was discovered in Taffe’s yard. Beneath it, police found a septic pit containing her decomposing body, wrapped in a comforter. Her head was nearly severed, and a rock was tied to her ankle.

Upon his arrest, Taffe bizarrely praised God, speaking in tongues before exclaiming, “Mi could not kill Nicole, a she look afta me and tek care a mi foot.”

Taffe’s attorney, Leroy Equiano, said his client broke down during retrial preparations and admitted his guilt, saying it was difficult to accept that he had killed someone he loved.

According to Equiano, Taffe claimed he snapped during an argument after Heron made hurtful comments. “Jealousy… that thing that harms so many of us,” Equiano noted.

Despite the confession, Justice Pusey was clear that Taffe’s deception added to his punishment. “He not only disposed of the body but continued to lie for years.”

Heron left behind three children, including a five-month-old daughter, a seven-year-old son, and a 12-year-old daughter at the time of her death.

Her family, after years of uncertainty and legal battles, will finally see justice served—but their pain remains.