Zaaina Mahvish-Jammeh: Homeless woman pleads not guilty to brutal murder of shelter worker with axe
Warning: Graphic content, readers’ discretion advised
BRATTLEBORO, VERMONT: Zaaina Mahvish-Jammeh, a disturbed homeless person residing in a Vermont shelter and accused of murdering a coordinator with an axe and a knife, filed a not guilty plea in court on Wednesday, April 5. Mahvish-Jammeh, 38, did not say anything during her Brattleboro court appearance as her public attorney entered the plea.
The terrible murder took place on Monday, April 3, at 9.30 am at the Morningside House, a city institution run by the Groundworks organization. Leah Rosin-Pritchard, a 36-year-old native of Rhode Island, has been identified as the victim. The criminal complaint stated that Mahvish-Jammeh reportedly requested a meeting with Rosin-Pritchard explicitly prior to the incident, according to DailyMail. The victim was allegedly discovered dead in the kitchen of the residence with injuries to her torso, neck, and face. When officers arrived, the suspect was seen wiping her hands with paper towels to remove the blood.
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'I haven't been able to sleep'
The home's security cameras recorded the terrible death of Rosin-Pritchard. In the video, a bed sheet is seen being flung over Mahvish-Jammeh's right shoulder as she enters the house while brandishing an ax. Investigators stated that Mahvish-Jammeh purchased the "hunters ax" from a nearby hardware store two days prior to the murder, according to DailyMail.
Witnesses claimed that as they rushed to find out what was going on, they heard cries coming from the home's dining room. When they turned back, they saw Mahvish-Jammeh repeatedly striking Rosin-Pritchard. They admitted to yelling at the suspect to stop but asserted refraining from getting too close to her as they were afraid of her.
A witness to Monday's (April 3) attack described it as a "f*****g brutal, savage f*****g murder" in an interview with the Brattleboro Reformer. The witness stated, "I haven't been able to sleep. Because every time I close my eyes, I see that s**t."
The unnamed witness stated, "I heard screaming. I come down the stairs. I look around right by where the dining room table is, and there’s a body on the floor, and I couldn’t even tell who it was. That’s how badly smashed the face was. She looked up at me and then went down to beat [the victim] a couple more times in the face," according to Reformer.
Who is Zaaina Mahvish-Jammeh?
Mahvish-Jammeh previously used to maintain an active YouTube channel where she would demonstrate how to make frozen drinks by continuously stabbing the ice with a big knife. The witness claimed that Mahvish-Jammeh had a serious mental health issue and that the home she was placed in was unfit to care for her.
The witness stated, "[Mahvish-Jammeh] has severe mental health problems, and they put her in a house that's not equipped for that and the staff aren't trained for that. I told them two months ago, this was going to happen, and they didn't listen. It was just a matter of time before she grabbed a butcher knife."
The witness added, "The only thing I was wrong about was her choice of weapon. It should have never happened, and now a good person is dead." The witness stated that Mahvish-Jammeh's level of mental illness was not suitable for the 30-bed shelter where the attack occurred.
Windham County State's Attorney Tracy Shriver stated, "I am sure that there will be a lot of community conversations about this case going forward but right now, I would ask folks to focus on the facts that Leah Rosin-Pritchard lost her life," reported DailyMail.