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        Man pleads not guilty in murders of toddler son, 19-year-old girlfriend; incident report unsealed

        Family members of both victims packed the courtroom.

        Marissa Alter

        Mar 4, 2025, 11:30 PM

        Updated 19 hr ago

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        The man charged in the deadly stabbings of his girlfriend and his son in West Haven pleaded not guilty Tuesday as the police report in the case was unsealed.
        Jevon Fletcher, 26, appeared in Milford Superior Court on two counts of murder, two counts of murder with special circumstances and one count of risk of injury to a child in the deaths 19-year-old Hailey Miller and 2-year-old Ta’naj Fletcher.
        Family members of both victims packed the courtroom. Some of Miller’s loved ones clasped hands and cried as Fletcher was led in. Ta’naj’s mother, Tyra Stewart, clutched his favorite stuffed animal. Several people wore blue shirts made in Ta’naj’s memory, which Stewart showed reporters after the hearing.
        “He's a beautiful soul, always happy, always smiling. And he likes to say, ‘Blast off,’” Stewart said pointing to her son’s picture and those words on the front of the shirt.
        It’s been 2 ½ weeks since West Haven police found Ta’naj and Miller dead in Fletcher’s apartment on Meloy Avenue. At the time, police said they responded there after several 911 calls from neighbors about a woman yelling for help. When they arrived, police said Fletcher was on the ground outside the building after jumping from a second-floor window.
        The police report in the case was sealed during Fletcher’s arraignment last month but was unsealed after court Tuesday, offering new details about what happened.
        According to the report, Miller’s mother was the first to contact 911 after she received a call from her daughter where she was “screaming, 'Help me, help me, save me,'" before the phone went dead. While on the phone with Miller's mom, more 911 calls came in about "yelling, banging and glass breaking” coming from the apartment, the report said.
        When police got on scene, they found Fletcher “completely naked" except for a blanket that a neighbor had put on him, according to the report. "Fletcher was initially unresponsive but conscious upon arrival. However, after a brief time, Fletcher began screaming and speaking incoherently,” the report said.
        Inside the apartment, police discovered both victims with "multiple stab wounds to the chest, head and neck," the report continued. "A large, serrated knife" was propped up on Miller and “a large kitchen knife with a bent blade and a broken tip" was near Ta'naj, the report said.
        Multiple people interviewed by police said Fletcher smoked marijuana, but they had no knowledge of any other drug use.
        Fletcher’s stepmother told police she’d never seen him “under the influence in a manic state.” She said Fletcher loved his son and jumping out of a window “isn’t Fletcher’s personality or characteristics,” the report said.
        Police also spoke with Stewart, who’d previously been involved with Fletcher. She said there was a domestic violence incident between the two of them in October 2022 where Fletcher assaulted her in the car while Ta’naj was in the back seat, according to the report. Court records show Fletcher pleaded guilty to breach of peace in February 2024 and received a six-month suspended sentence.
        Fletcher remains in custody on a $3 million bond. His next court appearance is set for May 13.
        GoFundMe campaigns have been started to help both victim’s families. Miller left behind a young son of her own. One effort is raising money for his future. Another effort seeks donations for Ta’naj’s funeral.