In the quiet town of Clarksville, Tennessee, a heartbreaking story unfolded on September 14, 2017, forever marking a day of immense loss and sorrow. On this day, 9-month-old Jaylynn Mae Hazel, a female infant, was tragically killed. Her life, along with those of her mother, 23-year-old Keara Wynn Hazel, and her 3-year-old brother, Kayden Jay Hazel, was violently cut short in their Mills Drive home.
The architect of this devastating act was the children's own father and Keara's husband,
27-year-old Jordan Hazel. In a shocking admission to law enforcement, Jordan Hazel confessed to the killings. The investigation revealed a grim sequence of events where he first shot his wife and, after leaving the residence, returned to fatally shoot his two young children. His history of domestic violence against Keara cast a dark shadow over the family's life, culminating in this horrific triple homicide.
Following the discovery of the bodies, Jordan Hazel was promptly arrested and charged with three counts of first-degree premeditated murder. The community was left to grapple with the senseless loss of a young mother and her two innocent children, with memorial services held at the Pleasant Hill Freewill Baptist Church in Dover, Tennessee, to honor their memory.
The legal proceedings that followed brought a measure of closure to the grieving families. On August 18, 2020, Jordan Hazel entered a guilty plea to three counts of first-degree murder. This plea averted a jury trial and resulted in a sentence of two life terms in prison. He will not be eligible for parole for 110 years, ensuring that the man responsible for the deaths of Jaylynn, Kayden, and Keara would spend the remainder of his life behind bars.
