Expert: Champaign Co. teen murder suspect has multiple personalities

A psychologist has diagnosed a Champaign County 15-year-old accused of killing his father’s girlfriend with multiple personalities.

Donovan Nicholas, who was 14 at the time he allegedly shot and stabbed 40-year-old Heidi Fay Taylor in April at his home, said in a 9-1-1 call that there is someone else inside him. Nicholas has pleaded not guilty to an aggravated murder charge.

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“I just killed my mother,” Nicholas can be heard saying on the recording obtained by the Springfield News-Sun. “It wasn’t me who, who, it wasn’t me who killed her. It was Jeff. Jeff. I’m sorry. This is going to be really hard to explain but I kind of have another person inside me.”

He also tells the 9-1-1 operator that he stabbed himself that night.

Forensic Psychologist Daniel Hrinko testified during a Champaign County Juvenile Court hearing last week that Nicholas suffers from a disassociative disorder, defense attorney Darrell Heckman said.

“Some people in the past have called it split or multiple personalities,” Heckman said.

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The hearing was to determine whether Nicholas can be rehabilitated and treated in the juvenile system or if he should be moved to adult court. Prosecutors have asked to move Nicholas to adult court. Champaign County Prosecutor Kevin Talebi said in a statement the reason for this is because of the seriousness of the accusations.

He declined comment on the court hearing.

Heckman believes that the juvenile court system could treat and rehabilitate Nicholas and that he shouldn’t be transferred to adult court.

Champaign County Judge Lori Reisinger didn’t make a ruling after the hearing, instead opting to take the case under advisement and asking Talebi to write a memorandum about the case that’s due Nov. 13.

Having multiple personalities isn’t common, Heckman said, but he contends his client does suffer from it.

“It’s a rare disorder but it is a recognized disorder,” he said.

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Donovan’s other personality is a Jeff the Killer from an internet series, Heckman said. Also, Donovan didn’t just make up the personality after the slaying, Heckman said.

“We had a child witness state that he related the existence to her a couple months before the shooting happened,” Heckman said.

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