ONE OF THE “TWISTED TWINS” IS FREE AFTER 16 YEARS — SHE AND HER SISTER KILLED THEIR MOTHER AS TEENS

Tasmiyah Whitehead was just 16 when she and her identical twin sister were convicted in the killing of their mother, Jarmecca “Nikki” Whitehead. Now, more than 16 years later, one twin has walked out of prison on parole.

More than 16 years after a shocking case involving two teenage twin sisters and the death of their mother, one of the women is now free.

Tasmiyah Whitehead, now 33, was released on parole from Georgia custody on Aug. 5, 2026, according to Georgia Department of Corrections records cited by PEOPLE and WSB-TV.

Her identical twin sister, Jasmiyah Whitehead, remains incarcerated.

The sisters were only 16 when their mother, Jarmecca “Nikki” Whitehead, was killed inside her Conyers, Georgia, home on Jan. 13, 2010.

A FIGHT THAT ENDED IN TRAGEDY

According to prosecutors, the deadly confrontation began after the twins woke up late for school.

An argument between the teenagers and their mother escalated inside the home.

During the confrontation, Nikki suffered multiple stab wounds. She was later found submerged in a bathtub.

Investigators initially heard a very different account from the sisters.

After their mother’s death, the twins went to school and later told authorities they had discovered their mother dead.

But investigators eventually began focusing on the sisters after finding injuries on them that were inconsistent with parts of their account.

The twins were arrested in May 2010, approximately four months after their mother’s death.

THE CASE THAT SHOCKED GEORGIA

The brutality of the killing became one of the most disturbing aspects of the case.

At the time of their 2014 plea proceedings, their grandmother, Lynda Whitehead, said Nikki had been stabbed approximately 50 to 60 times.

Prosecutors also described severe injuries suffered by their mother, including wounds to her lungs and jugular vein.

The sisters were initially facing murder charges.

But in 2014, both accepted plea deals that reduced the charges to voluntary manslaughter, along with charges involving possession of a knife during a crime and making false statements.

Each ultimately received a total sentence of 30 years.

NOW ONE TWIN IS FREE

Tasmiyah became eligible for parole in 2017.

But she remained behind bars for years afterward.

According to the Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles, she served more than 16 years in custody, including time spent awaiting trial.

The board ultimately determined there was a reasonable probability that she could remain at liberty without violating the law.

She was released on Aug. 5 and is now serving parole.

State records indicate her parole is scheduled to continue until May 19, 2040.

HER SISTER IS STILL IN PRISON

Jasmiyah, meanwhile, remains incarcerated.

Although both sisters received the same plea deal and 30-year sentence, their release timelines have been different.

Georgia Department of Corrections records indicate Jasmiyah is expected to be considered for parole in March 2028.

For now, the sisters who once faced the same courtroom together are living very different lives.

One is outside prison.

The other remains behind bars.

“SHE IS THE VICTIM”

The parole decision has also reopened painful memories for Nikki Whitehead’s family.

During the 2014 proceedings, their grandmother strongly criticized the possibility that the twins could eventually be released on parole.

She questioned how a 30-year sentence could include the possibility of early release after her daughter had suffered such a violent death.

Her words reflected a central question that has followed the case for more than a decade:

How should the justice system balance accountability, rehabilitation and the fact that the defendants were teenagers when the crime occurred?

Tasmiyah’s release does not erase what happened to Nikki.

It simply marks another chapter in a case that began when two 16-year-old girls were arrested after their mother’s death.

More than 16 years later, one of those girls has walked out of prison.

Her mother never got that chance.

And her twin sister is still waiting.