5 key details about Mama Edna’s murder 

Season one, epsiode three of New York Homicide on Oxygen will focus on the 2016 murder of East Flatbush, Brooklyn resident Mama Edna, full name Edna Pierre-Jacques.

Mama Edna was killed by her friend and neighbor Tamisha Harper, who pleaded guilty to the crime and was sentenced to 17 years behind bars.

The epsiode that will cover this case is titled Deadly Spell. It airs on Oxygen on February 1 at 9:00 pm ET. The logline for the same reads as:

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“When community matriarch Mama Edna is found murdered, NYPD uncover a voodoo practice."

5 details to learn about Mama Edna’s murder ahead of New York Homicide on Oxygen

1) Mama Edna was found lying in a pool of blood

As per reports by Oxygen True Crime (OTC), Edna was lying in a pool of blood, as also witnessed by the detectives and the first responders who arrived at the scene of the night on February 27, 2016.

Mama Edna’s granddaughter was the first who spotted her deceased and unalive body around 9:50 pm, after which 911 was informed. There were no signs of forced entry as revealed by OTC.

2) There were ligature marks around Mama Edna’s neck

As per OTC, the first responders and detectives speculated that Edna’a death was not accidental. She had injuries to her head and there was a “bloody hammer” and "electrical cords" near the body. The ligature marks on her neck suggested that she was strangled.

About the same, Detective Gilberto Alonso told OTC:

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“She seemed to have some injuries to her head. We also noticed ligature marks around her neck as if she was strangled.”

3) The detectives found something harrowing in Frederick’s room

As per OTC, after Mama Edna’s untimely death, it was revealed that she and her husband had a strained relationship and that at the time of the murder, he was likely in the next room.

While searching the crime scene and nearby, a book opened to a page that read “How to get rid of a Witch” was discovered.

In the book, it was instructed that to kill a witch one must write a person’s name on paper and burn it. To add to the surprise, burnt paper with Edna’s name was found in her husband Frederick’s room, which made him a primary suspect. However, Frederick was later cleared as a suspect.

4) An underground gambling den

As reported by OTC, detectives, and investigators discovered a gambling area in the basement of Edna and Frederick's home. Edna and Frederick allegedly rented out the basement for extra cash.

The gambling establishment has calculators, fax machines, registers, and other equipment. Initially, the gambling den was thought to be a lead in Edna's murder, but there was no proof uncovered to proceed with the case.

5) Tamisha Harper claimed that spirits took over her

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After Mama Edna’s murder her longtime friend and neighbor Tamisha Harper who would always be with her, was missing from the neighborhood. Her behavior was seemingly strange after Edna's death as per reports.

When the detectives finally tracked Harper down at her mother's New Jersey home, she was in a "fetal position" and had a "blank stare in her eyes" as per OTC.

Tamisha Harper told the detectives that she was allegedly cursed by a woman who was a voodoo stationer. In order to remove the curse, she went to Edna, a spiritual healer. However, things did not go as planned.

Harper described the same to cops and revealed that Mama Edna looked at her and told her:

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“You’re [Tamisha Harper] here to kill me."

Harper claimed that after Edna said the aforementioned line, spirits took control of Harper and she killed her friend Edna in a trance by strangling her and choking her.

To learn more about this case, watch season one, epsiode three of New York Homicide on Oxygen titled Deadly Spell. It airs on Oxygen on February 1 at 9:00 pm ET.

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