Will she be next? Murderer's sister fears for her life ahead of his release
- Replies 4
The last thing Amy Chesler wants is to see her brother walk out of prison as a free man.
Amy Chesler remembers her brother, Jesse Winnick, as a 'ball of spite' who took joy in other people's fear and pain. So it's no surprise that she's terrified now that he's up for parole after the 2007 killing of their mother, Hadas Winnick.
Credit: Investigation Discovery.
On September 25, 2007, Amy got a phone call from her mum while at work. Amy had a date that night and was planning to head home late. But still, she felt something was off.
While on the date, her mum called again and said everything was fine. But immediately after, Jesse called Amy with a gruff voice and hung up on her. Amy knew then that something was wrong.
'He was manipulative and aggressive,' she said. 'We had called the police on him multiple times before and he had been in jail.'
She went home immediately but called her mum and then Jesse back first. That's when he finally admitted to killing their mother: 'Don't come home; I killed mum,' he said.
Amy then called the police who told her not to go into the house if her brother had actually killed their mum, as he claimed.
She didn't listen because she thought he might be lying or joking, but when she arrived, she found her mother dead in the kitchen in a large pool of blood.
'When I found her on the night he killed her, it was awful. It was the worst thing I've ever seen,' Amy said. 'The emotional impact has been immense. It changed my life trajectory completely.'
When asked why he did what he did, Jesse said he was eating a sandwich and cutting up cheese when their mum came in and screamed at him. He told her to relax, but she was so angry that she slapped him. So, with the same knife he was using to cut cheese, Jesse stabbed his mum in the neck.
Jesse, claiming mental incapacity, entered a not-guilty plea to the murder of his mother.
Detectives asked Amy if she had anything to do with her mum's murder after her brother tried to drag her along with him, saying that she was the one who came up with the plan.
Amy denied her brother's allegations. Later, the police told her that Jesse had intentions of killing her too.
Even though his conviction took four and a half years, Jesse accepted a reduced charge of second-degree murder and was handed a sentence of 15 years to life in prison.
However, on April 16, 2021, less than ten years after his conviction, he was eligible for parole. Fortunately for Amy, he was denied parole after he admitted to stabbing over 90 people while in prison. He also threatened to kill Amy at the hearing, saying he knows where she lives with her two children.
But much to her surprise and disbelief, Jesse was granted another hearing two years later.
'I'm absolutely terrified,' said Amy. 'I don't understand how someone as awful as him could possibly be getting out so soon.'
Amy is frustrated that she will have no choice but to spend the rest of her life in constant dread of having to appear before the parole board and constant fear that her murderer brother may be out of prison soon.
She and her family's safety is at stake so long as her brother is still alive; therefore, she hopes he is never released from prison.
Amy, who has written a book about her mother's case, also says that the way people talk about 'true crime' needs to change so that killers aren't encouraged.
'People like my brother need to be spoken about, so we can find discrepancies on how people like him are being empowered by the system,' she said.
'Grief is not linear, and it's forever. It's even generational - my children have been affected by what happened and are in therapy,' she said, explaining that the true crime genre should be more sensitive and highlight the victims rather than the perpetrators.
We here at the Seniors Discount Club send our deepest sympathies to Amy and her family.
What do you think of this horrifying story, members? Please let us know in the comments.
Amy Chesler remembers her brother, Jesse Winnick, as a 'ball of spite' who took joy in other people's fear and pain. So it's no surprise that she's terrified now that he's up for parole after the 2007 killing of their mother, Hadas Winnick.
Credit: Investigation Discovery.
On September 25, 2007, Amy got a phone call from her mum while at work. Amy had a date that night and was planning to head home late. But still, she felt something was off.
While on the date, her mum called again and said everything was fine. But immediately after, Jesse called Amy with a gruff voice and hung up on her. Amy knew then that something was wrong.
'He was manipulative and aggressive,' she said. 'We had called the police on him multiple times before and he had been in jail.'
She went home immediately but called her mum and then Jesse back first. That's when he finally admitted to killing their mother: 'Don't come home; I killed mum,' he said.
Amy then called the police who told her not to go into the house if her brother had actually killed their mum, as he claimed.
She didn't listen because she thought he might be lying or joking, but when she arrived, she found her mother dead in the kitchen in a large pool of blood.
When Amy returned home that night, she saw her mother dead in a pool of blood. Credit: Pexels/kat wilcox.
'When I found her on the night he killed her, it was awful. It was the worst thing I've ever seen,' Amy said. 'The emotional impact has been immense. It changed my life trajectory completely.'
When asked why he did what he did, Jesse said he was eating a sandwich and cutting up cheese when their mum came in and screamed at him. He told her to relax, but she was so angry that she slapped him. So, with the same knife he was using to cut cheese, Jesse stabbed his mum in the neck.
Jesse, claiming mental incapacity, entered a not-guilty plea to the murder of his mother.
Detectives asked Amy if she had anything to do with her mum's murder after her brother tried to drag her along with him, saying that she was the one who came up with the plan.
Amy denied her brother's allegations. Later, the police told her that Jesse had intentions of killing her too.
Jesse Winnick is accused of killing his mother and has also made threats against his sister's life. Credit: Pexels/Donald Tong.
Even though his conviction took four and a half years, Jesse accepted a reduced charge of second-degree murder and was handed a sentence of 15 years to life in prison.
However, on April 16, 2021, less than ten years after his conviction, he was eligible for parole. Fortunately for Amy, he was denied parole after he admitted to stabbing over 90 people while in prison. He also threatened to kill Amy at the hearing, saying he knows where she lives with her two children.
But much to her surprise and disbelief, Jesse was granted another hearing two years later.
'I'm absolutely terrified,' said Amy. 'I don't understand how someone as awful as him could possibly be getting out so soon.'
Amy is frustrated that she will have no choice but to spend the rest of her life in constant dread of having to appear before the parole board and constant fear that her murderer brother may be out of prison soon.
She and her family's safety is at stake so long as her brother is still alive; therefore, she hopes he is never released from prison.
'People like my brother need to be spoken about, so we can find discrepancies on how people like him are being empowered by the system,' she said.
'Grief is not linear, and it's forever. It's even generational - my children have been affected by what happened and are in therapy,' she said, explaining that the true crime genre should be more sensitive and highlight the victims rather than the perpetrators.
We here at the Seniors Discount Club send our deepest sympathies to Amy and her family.
What do you think of this horrifying story, members? Please let us know in the comments.
.png){kind=icon}
