St. Tammany Parish, LA: Man pleads not guilty in ex-wife's death

ST. TAMMANY PARISH, La. -

A man accused of killing his ex-wife in St. Tammany Parish has pleaded not guilty.

Prosecutors said Calvin Jefferson killed Nichole Jefferson, 31, and dumped her body on the side of an interstate near Covington in May. Officials said the couple had four children.

WDSU's Heath Allen spoke with Nicole Jefferson's mother on Tuesday. She claims Calvin Jefferson had a history of denying abuse.

Connie Schilling has her hands full trying to deal with eight children, but when the man accused of killing her daughter pleaded not guilty in court, she said she became angry.

The four other children are Schilling's other daughter's children. She said she's taking care of them because that daughter was injured in an accident.

"It's hard because you'd think at some point in his life he would man up, and take responsibility at least for his children," Schilling said.

Schilling shares her cramped Mandeville apartment with her eight grandchildren.

She's been dealing with her daughter's death and the aftermath for two months, but she said she wasn't prepared for Nicole's ex-husband to plead not guilty.

"He could at least spare his children that burden of having to go through a lengthy trial, and God forbid they have to go in," Schilling said.

The children's grandmother said the kids have been undergoing counseling and answers have been hard to come by.

The disappearance and death of her daughter, combined with the effect on her grandchildren has Schilling looking to move.

"We were so close, living next to each other. We'd deal with soccer together, CCD, and every time we go to something, like okay, something is missing here," Schilling said.

All the children have left of their mother now are their memories and photos of the TSA worker known for her contagious laugh and ever-present smile.

Despite her trepidation, Schilling said she will be in court during the trial.

"Every single hearing, he'll have to face me. Every single time, just like anytime anything was going on next door, he's going to have to face me, because what he did was unforgivable," Schilling said.

Calvin Jefferson's attorney said the case should go to trial before the end of the year.

Schilling said some TSA employees are planning to gather at the Wally Pontiff Playground on Saturday to raise money for her daughter's family. The event runs from noon to 5 p.m.