Twisted Love follows the case of a love triangle in Connecticut that led a jealous woman in July 1998 to attack two young children with a box cutter. Chastity West was jealous of 7-year-old Jarrell Cuyler and his little sister, 2-year-old Lindsey, because of the sick notion that they were preventing their father, Arnold Cuyler, from marrying her.
Arnold had had the children with his wife Tammi but had begun an affair with Chastity, a 23-year-old licensed practical nurse, shortly after Lindsey was born. Chastity was a cousin of Tammy’s and knew the children well; the affair had started when she used to babysit the children.
Chastity West was driven mad with jealously
Tammy and Arnold were divorced in 1996, and the affair with Chastity continued. However, Chastity was enraged that Arnold refused to leave the state with her and insisted on spending time with his children. He allegedly refused to marry her because he didn’t want to cause more tension within the family.
When Tammy accused Arnold of adultery during their marriage, a furious Chastity recruited a cousin’s boyfriend, Alexis Grajales, under the pretext of going to Tammy’s home to intimidate her and vandalize her home.
On breaking into Tammy’s home Grajales pinned the mother of two to the floor while Chastity hunted for the children. When Chastity discovered their whereabouts, she hacked at them with a box cutter. Jarrell’s head was almost decapitated, and he died immediately. Lindsey was injured but survived the attack.
When Grajales realized Chastity was harming the children, he fled the scene leaving Tammy to make the grisly discovery of what had happened to her children.
Watch the Latest on our YouTube ChannelPolice closed in on Chastity West
The crime remained unsolved for a week until investigators grew highly suspicious of all the holes and contradictions in West’s explanations of her whereabouts on the night of the murder. After being shown a photo of Jarrell’s near-decapitated corpse, she confessed to the crime.
Chastity’s mental health, combined with her good behavior in custody, combined with testimony from family and friends led her to escape the death penalty. She was instead sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
Other love triangles that led to murder
Follow the links to read about other cases of when a love triangle went horribly wrong and led to death, such as the tragic case of Cody MacPherson, who found himself on the receiving end of a vengeful ex-boyfriend. Or the case of Canadian airforce Major David Turenne who’s wife and lover hatched a plan which ended with him being beaten to death.
Catch the details of the case on Twisted Love at 9/8c on Investigation Discovery.