Man accused of killing 19-year-old girlfriend and his 2-year-old son in stabbing

WEST HAVEN, Conn. (WFSB/Gray News) - A man was arrested for allegedly fatally stabbing his 19-year-old girlfriend and his 2-year-old son.

Police in Connecticut identified the suspect as 26-year-old Jevon Tyrese Fletcher, of New Haven.

Fletcher faced a judge this week.

Wearing a neck brace, Fletcher made his first court appearance remotely from the courthouse lockup area after getting out of the hospital.

The judge said the allegations are as serious as they get.

Fletcher was charged with two counts of murder, murder with special circumstances and risk of injury.

On Saturday night, several people in the apartment building on Meloy Road called 911 after they heard 19-year-old Hailey Miller screaming, investigators said.

Officers found the suspect lying on the ground after breaking a second-floor window and jumping out.

Police found Miller and 2-year-old Ta’naj inside the apartment stabbed to death.

The judge told Fletcher not to communicate with the victims’ families.

“You are to have no contact, Mr. Fletcher, with either any member of the victims' families and no contact with any potential witnesses,” the judge said.

The anger towards Fletcher and the grief of his alleged actions were shared by two families at Milford Superior Court.

“Justice for Ta’naj, that’s all,” one person said.

Fletcher had worked part-time for Avelo Airlines and has lived in Connecticut for 12 years.

He also has a previous conviction of breach of peace in the second degree, domestic in nature, from February of last year. The victim in that case was not Miller.

He is being held on a $3 million bond.

Fletcher is due back in court next month for a probable cause hearing. He is now also on suicide watch.

The judge ruled that the court files will remain sealed until then.

Miller’s family said she was a young mother and an aspiring nursing student.

Nicolette Nealy, Miller’s cousin, said during an exclusive interview that Fletcher was the victim’s boyfriend.

Nealy said that a bright light was taken from the world too soon.

“She was incredibly bright, incredibly intelligent, and caring and forgiving,” Nealy said.

Nealy said the two were close growing up, along with Miller’s two older brothers.

Nealy said Miller was applying to nursing school and started getting into yoga.

“I’m active in yoga myself, and she was also getting very into yoga,” Nealy said. “I’m becoming a yoga instructor myself, and I was very much looking forward to having Hailey in my first class.”

However, she said Miller’s true passion was being a mother to her 3-year-old son, Jackson.

“[She was] always genuinely concerned about providing Jackson with the best possible care. Should he be in this program? Where should he be at right now? That was just always No. 1 on her priority list,” Nealy recalled.

She also said Miller recently moved to the apartment on Meloy Street where she was allegedly stabbed and killed by Fletcher.

Nealy also said the 2-year-old boy who was found dead was Fletcher’s son and was not related to Miller. Police confirmed that on Tuesday morning.

The family has been working to navigate the tragedy together, especially for Jackson.

“The second I got there, he’s like, ‘Are you here to take care of me now, Nicolette, since Mommy’s gone?‘” Nealy said. “And I just didn’t know what to say. And he said, ‘When I go back home, Mommy’s not going to be there. I won’t see Mommy.' I said, ‘Where does Mommy live?’ And he said, ‘I’ll always feel Mommy’s love. She’s in my heart forever.‘”

Fletcher was in the hospital as of Monday. He was injured jumping out of the window.

“If you’re in an apartment complex like that and you hear some type of screaming or things that just don’t sound right, call us immediately. Let us get there, and hopefully, we can solve anything before it gets too serious,” Sgt. Scott Allard, with the West Haven Police Department, said.

A GoFundMe was created to help support Miller’s son and family. A separate fundraiser was also set up to support the 2-year-old’s family.