HARTFORD, Conn. — A man was sentenced to prison in Hartford Superior Court Tuesday for killing his wife in front of their young son.
Tahj Hutchinson, 26, will serve 27 years behind bars along with three years of special parole, following the murder of his wife, Jessica Edwards, 30, in 2021 in South Windsor. The judge also ordered him to never have any contact with Edwards' family or with his own son, Jayden.
About half a dozen family members and friends of Edwards spoke in court Tuesday about the impact her killing has had on their life and the life of her young son.
"You didn’t care about anyone but yourself," Edwards' mother said. "You wanted everyone to believe that this was an accident but you picked Mother’s Day on purpose. You planned this murder out in a way that you thought was perfect to get away. Jessica was loved and even though you didn’t love her, we did!"
Edwards' sister, who stepped up to adopt Jessica’s son Jayden, said that his father robbed him.
"Robbing Jayden the chance of ever meeting his amazing, caring and loving mother. We want the court to understand that this is a diabolical act done in the presence of Jayden who no doubt stared helplessly as the murderer executes his plan with ease," Edwards' sister said.
On May 10, 2021, just months after Edwards gave birth to her son Jayden, Hutchinson killed her following a domestic dispute on Mother’s Day that escalated into homicide.
According to Hutchinson’s arrest warrant, he admitted he “knelt on Jessica’s neck and back until she stopped moving,” inside their South Windsor condo, while their nine-month-old son was inside.
Hutchinson loaded her body in his SUV and dumped it in Linear Park in East Hartford near the entrance to the Hockanum River. In the days that followed, Hutchinson acted like his wife just went missing. He denied any involvement and even actively participated in the search for his wife’s body.
Police used Edwards’ phone GPS location data and drones to find her body 11 days later, when Hutchinson finally came clean and admitted to killing his wife.
Matt Caron is a reporter at FOX61 News. He can be reached at mcaron@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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