On New Year's Eve in 2008, Keiona Braxton was found beaten, shot, stabbed, and burned in a Henrico County residence she shared with her live-in boyfriend, Kenneth Lee. She was three months pregnant at the time and died at the scene even though first responders attempted to stabilize her.
Investigators soon determined that Braxton was likely murdered by her boyfriend's jealous ex-girlfriend Kayla Armstrong. They established that both women had been engaged in a rivalry since 2006 and that Armstrong had previously attacked and assaulted the 26-year-old victim twice.
Later, Armstrong pleaded no contest to one charge of voluntary manslaughter in Braxton's death and pleaded guilty to two separate charges. She was given a 30-year sentence after 80 years were suspended from her original term.
An all-new episode of Killer Relationship With Faith Jenkins is slated to revisit Keiona Braxton's tragic death. The episode, titled Lethal Love Triangle, airs on Oxygen this Sunday, July 9, at 7:00 pm ET.
The official synopsis of the episode reads:
"Keiona Braxton excitedly awaits the birth of her first child, but when detectives are called to her burning apartment, they uncover a scene of unparalleled violence and use the clues on Keiona's own body to point them to the killer."Keiona Braxton was killed by her boyfriend's jealous ex-girlfriend on New Year's Eve in 2008
Sometime around 6:40 am on New Year's Eve in 2008, the Henrico County fire department responded to a house fire at Keiona Braxton and her live-in boyfriend's townhome on Crenshaw Road, near Chamberlayne Avenue. The former was found barely alive inside the house and reportedly died at the scene while first responders attempted to stabilize her.
According to The Washington Post, an autopsy revealed that 26-year-old Braxton was three months pregnant at the time and died of more than a dozen blows to the head. As per a WTVR CBS 6 News Richmond report, she was stabbed at least 43 times and shot thrice.
She was also burned and as per Inquisitr, authorities found that all stove burners were turned on high to make it appear like a random fire. However, the victim's cause of death, two bullet casings, and a knife discovered at the scene suggested otherwise.
Braxton's boyfriend and the father of her unborn child, Kenneth Lee was out of town when the crime took place and all suspicion fell on Lee's jealous ex-girlfriend Kayla Armstrong, with whom he shares a daughter.
Keiona Braxton's live-in boyfriend's jealous ex murdered her over a romantic rivalry
The Progress-Index reported that Keiona Braxton and Kayla Armstrong had been engaged in a romantic rivalry since at least 2006. Back then, the latter was convicted of one count of felony assault and was sentenced to four months in prison for stabbing Braxton.
Following the first attack, regular calls were made to the police alleging that Braxton was being harassed by Armstrong. The latter also reportedly attacked the mother-to-be a few days before the murder in December 2008, for which she faced one count of misdemeanor assault.
The same report mentioned that Armstrong was first indicted on these charges on January 5, 2009, and also faced vandalism and breaking and entering charges. The mother-of-one remained in custody until June 2009 and stood trial. She was then found not guilty and was eventually acquitted of the charges.
Kayla Armstrong was linked to Keiona Braxton's gruesome murder using DNA and other physical evidence
Kayla Armstrong remained a suspect in Keiona Braxton's killing for a couple more years and was only indicted in November 2011 based on DNA and other physical evidence. At the time, she was a junior at Virginia State University, majoring in management.
Then, in January 2013, 29-year-old Armstrong pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter. She then pleaded guilty to two separate charges of attempted capital murder and solicitation to commit capital murder, stemming from a plot to murder her former boyfriend.
Armstrong was sentenced to 110 years in prison, out of which 80 years were suspended, as per WTVR CBS 6 News Richmond. She is currently serving a 30-year sentence at the Fluvanna Correctional Center.
Learn more about the case on Oxygen's Killer Relationship With Faith Jenkins this Sunday.
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