TAYLOR, Mich. – A Taylor man killed in a stabbing last week is being remembered by his family as “larger than life”, as the woman accused in his death faces a second-degree murder charge.
Heaven Daniels, 26, of Detroit, was arraigned in 23rd District Court in Taylor on one count of second-degree murder and a charge of tampering with evidence in the death of 25-year-old Kenneth Chriswell.
Prosecutors allege Daniels stabbed Chriswell early July 2 in the parking lot of the Taylor Park Townhomes, next to his vehicle. Police said officers arrived around 4:15 a.m., and Chriswell was pronounced dead at the scene.
Kimberly Davis, Chriswell’s mother, said her son, known to loved ones as “Jay,” was devoted to family and had an outgoing nature.
“He had a bubbly personality,” Davis said. “I tell any and everybody there was not a stranger he did not befriend.”
Chriswell’s sisters, Kymmie Chriswell and Ka’Tiah Chriswell, said their brother was their biggest supporter and a source of pride and encouragement.
“When I got into college, he was very happy. He just loved to celebrate things, and he just loved to tell us how proud he was of us,” Kymmie Chriswell said.
Ka’Tiah Chriswell said he was focused on building a future.
“He wanted to start a family. He wanted a wife. He wanted us to thrive, his family to thrive,” she said.
Davis said she got a knock on her door around 6 a.m. that morning, and officers told her of her son’s death.
Shortly after the stabbing, police were able to track Daniels to Detroit. Taylor police said Daniels tried to flee and was later found hiding in bushes in a neighborhood on Detroit’s west side. Davis said Chriswell’s phone was in Daniels’ vehicle, allowing his family to help track its location.
“I’m living a nightmare because it’s like I can’t wake up from it because this is reality,” Davis said.
Davis said her son had recently ended a relationship with Daniels and told her he had been harassed in the weeks leading up to his death. She described an alleged incident in which Daniels came to his home and damaged property.
“He said he didn’t let her in, but then she said she had to use the restroom. He let her use the restroom, and he said she bolted out the bathroom and broke his TV, broke his computer, and just destroyed all his property,” Davis said.
Davis said her son was initially reluctant to file a police report, but said she later learned he filed one the week before he was killed. Police previously said Daniels had a prior history of domestic disputes.
Davis said she’s sharing their family’s story as a warning to others who could be experiencing domestic violence, urging people to tell someone and seek help.
“Let somebody know, I cannot stress that enough,” Davis said. “When I talked to him Wednesday night, he told me it’s a lot going on. I said, ‘Well, what’s going on?’ He said too much to tell you over the phone; I’ll tell you when I see you tomorrow. Tomorrow never came.”
Daniels is scheduled to return to court for a probable cause conference at 9:30 a.m. July 13.
In Michigan, second-degree murder carries a maximum penalty of life in prison.
Tampering with evidence carries a maximum penalty of 10 years.