Many of our readers were shocked to read about Kisha Jones, a Brooklyn mother of four who is accused of giving her husband’s mistress, then seven months pregnant, an abortion pill, causing her to go into premature labor. Once hospitalized, Jones is accused of sending a “toxic white liquid” disguised as breastmilk to be given to the newborn, again in an attempt to kill the love child.
We spoke with Brooklyn psychotherapist, Dr. Kaaria Mechuria, about what would drive Jones to commit such an act. Depression? Maybe, says Dr, Mechuria.
ESSENCE.com: In your experience, what drives someone to this kind of rage?
DR. KAARIA MECHURIA: It seems like there was a fear of abandonment there. She probably suffered some abuse or abandonment, probably in her own childhood. There’s no way I would know for sure unless I spoke with her but I think that’s an extreme personality disorder. When a person hurts so badly that they hurt someone else it’s often because they’re thinking it’s going to address whatever issue they’re having
ESSENCE.com: Why go after the child? If anything, why not hurt the husband or the mistress?
DR. MECHURIA: She probably felt like this other woman had power over her because of the pregnancy and that her husband would be more loyal to the child. In her mind, she was probably thinking, ‘If that woman doesn’t have the child, then I have a chance,’ and wasn’t considering the consequences. The person is not totally sane. But I think some of the things that go along with that is manipulation. There’s an outward look of confidence but inside there is extreme insecurity. At that point of depression you see things in black and white, not what’s in between.
ESSENCE.com: Does it say anything about the kind of relationship she had with her husband?
DR. MECHURIA: It was probably a relationship of extreme dependency and she feared him abandoning her. On the other hand, this type of personality can be controlling and manipulative. They can cover it up with a strong air of confidence. Maybe her husband didn’t see her insecurity or didn’t know her need, we don’t know.
ESSENCE.com: They had four children together.
DR. MECHURIA: She could have just been thinking to herself, ‘I’ve been with this man for this many years, have four children by him, and look at what he did to me. And how could this heffer enter our lives and do this?’ It could have been one of those moments of rage. Or she just saw her husband slipping away. They had four children together so, of course, she had made a big investment in that relationship. Maybe she thought, ‘If this woman gets my husband, where am I going to go? Where will my children go?’ That’s enough to push somebody over the edge even if they are ‘normal.’
ESSENCE.com: It seems very premeditated and not a case of someone snapping from a moment of rage.
DR. MECHURIA: Yes, she thought it out, but she could have been in depression for a period of time.
ESSENCE.com: This was quite an elaborate plan. Even after the child was in the hospital she sent someone there with poisoned breastmilk to finish the job, so to speak.
DR. MECHURIA: She was determined. She’s not the first woman to be cheated on but, you know, one situation can hit two different people and depending on what each is made of, one can become mentally ill and never return and the other can go into deep depression but come out of it. Maybe this woman was carrying something inside all this time and the mistress’s pregnancy took her over the top. Most people would say, ‘This hurts, but I gotta let it go because it’s not doing me any good.’ But in her mind there was something she could do to fix it. This sounds like a case of depression. If you look at some of the moms who kill their children, most of the time it was about extreme depression. But to get a better assessment we would need to talk to her.
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