GUILTY AL - Kathleen "Kat" West, 42, murdered, Calera, 13 Jan 2018 *husband arrested*

[Betty P]

I guess it's a compromise but it is hard for me to reconcile. The jury is saying yes, he hit her on the head with a bottle hard enough to cause a 2-inch gash but he didn't intend to kill her?

Agree, it's not right. The evidence was very clear that he killed her and tried to cover it up. To make it worse, he continued to lie about it up through the trial. He has refused to admit he killed her and has shown less than zero empathy and no remorse.

His attitude towards his wife's murder, JMO, is "she deserved it". I think her mother feels the same way. What horrible, horrible people. I feel so sorry for Kat, having been raised with a parent who was jealous of her. She probably spent most of her life feeling scorned and rejected by the people who should have loved her. I can only hope her only child's view of her mother hasn't been poisoned by these terrible family members.

RIP Kat, you deserved a better husband and family.

JMO.

 

[Betty P]

Here's how the prosecution believes the events unfolded that night.

"They both drank – a lot – and then Jeff West took two photos of his wife, who posed in a pink bra, pink multi-colored panties and pink stiletto shoes.

"At some point, McBrayer said, an argument erupted. “He is tired and fed up with this Instagram stuff,” McBrayer said. “He grabs her phone and chunks it out the front door where it lands in the street.” Prior testimony showed that Kat West’s phone was cracked.

"Kat West went outside to retrieve her phone. She was wearing only the pink bra – no pants or panties or shoes.

McBrayer said he believes Jeff West grabbed the liquor bottle, followed her outside and, holding the bottle in an inverted position, delivered the fatal blow to her head."

Kat West trial: Jeff West found guilty of reckless manslaughter

ETA: If Jeff West was tired and fed up, he should have filed for divorce.

 

[Reasonable & Just]

He was benefitting from the "Instagram stuff". They were together for all those years. He really hated her enough to leave her to die naked in the street?

That's what is so chilling about DV. You can cuddle babies together, cook Thanksgiving dinners, do the sickness and health stuff for decades. But in the end, it doesn't earn you any credit. Selfishness and lack of regard will always win out, unless you get yourself out.

 

[Subiechik21]

Kat West trial: Jeff West found guilty of reckless manslaughter.

per Al.com

Thank you for this update @Catmommy! I am not going to lie, by the time the verdict was reached, I was dead asleep, so my apologies to everyone for not getting the news to you when it broke.
I am happy that at least Kat got some justice, but feel it should have been murder instead of manslaughter. I hope that her mom will look deep within herself & try to find the help she needs to process everything that has occurred. I only say mom because I don't believe we ever heard from her father despite him being there in the courtroom as well, please feel free to correct me if I am mistaken.
Above all else, I hope that their daughter can get the help that she is surely going to need in order to process this tragedy & come to terms with it. It can't be easy to lose both parents, with one killing the other. I know I could not imagine the pain & confusion that would cause. Hopefully, now Kat can truly rest in peace.

 

[Synergizer Bunny]

Intentionally following Kat outside with the Absinthe bottle and then hitting her in the head with it is intentional homicide to me...but what do I know?

Yes - He did benefit from her income that she got from her website. He's the one that took the photos for her.

If her parents couldn't support her in her death, they should have kept their pie holes shut.

I hope that the judge sentences him to the max. I guess that her parents will once again be there begging the judge to go lenient on him, not caring at all what he did to their daughter or that their granddaughter is now without a mother.

JMO.

 

[Subiechik21]

Intentionally following Kat outside with the Absinthe bottle and then hitting her in the head with it is intentional homicide, to me...but what do I know?

Yes - He did benefit from her income that she got from her website. He's the one that took the photos for her.

If her parents couldn't support her in her death, they should have kept their pie holes shut.

I hope that the judge sentences him to the max. I guess that her parents will once again be there begging the judge to go lenient on him, not caring at all what he did to their daughter or that their granddaughter is now without a mother.

JMO.

100% Agree with you!

 

[Synergizer Bunny]

I think that manslaughter sentence in Alabama is 2-20 years. I hope that this is the case; and Jeff gets 20 years.

 

[Betty P]

Thank you for this update @Catmommy! I am not going to lie, by the time the verdict was reached, I was dead asleep, so my apologies to everyone for not getting the news to you when it broke.
I am happy that at least Kat got some justice, but feel it should have been murder instead of manslaughter. I hope that her mom will look deep within herself & try to find the help she needs to process everything that has occurred. I only say mom because I don't believe we ever heard from her father despite him being there in the courtroom as well, please feel free to correct me if I am mistaken.
Above all else, I hope that their daughter can get the help that she is surely going to need in order to process this tragedy & come to terms with it. It can't be easy to lose both parents, with one killing the other. I know I could not imagine the pain & confusion that would cause. Hopefully, now Kat can truly rest in peace.

Thanks, Subie. You did a great job keeping us up to date. I was asleep, too. I had no idea jurors would stay that late to deliberate.

I feel badly for the daughter, too. She deserves to grow up with family who love her and can help her grieve for her mother and deal with the knowledge that her father killed her. That's a heavy burden for a child to bear, requiring intelligent, caring adults.

 

[BeachSky]

Here's how the prosecution believes the events unfolded that night.

"They both drank – a lot – and then Jeff West took two photos of his wife, who posed in a pink bra, pink multi-colored panties and pink stiletto shoes.

"At some point, McBrayer said, an argument erupted. “He is tired and fed up with this Instagram stuff,” McBrayer said. “He grabs her phone and chunks it out the front door where it lands in the street.” Prior testimony showed that Kat West’s phone was cracked.

"Kat West went outside to retrieve her phone. She was wearing only the pink bra – no pants or panties or shoes.

McBrayer said he believes Jeff West grabbed the liquor bottle, followed her outside and, holding the bottle in an inverted position, delivered the fatal blow to her head."

Kat West trial: Jeff West found guilty of reckless manslaughter

ETA: If Jeff West was tired and fed up, he should have filed for divorce.

I actually understand NOW why he did not want a “speedy trial”.
He thought( IMO) he could find a way ( possibly his MIL) to work his way out of this murder.
Just horrible that he decided ( per prosecution theory ) to stage it like she fell ...and let an innocent neighbor girl “find” Kat. Sick.
I feel badly for the daughter. But glad justice was served.
May he get the 20 years because he decided Kat should no longer live.
And when all is pushed away...all the good times and bad...website, webcam, whatever...
no human gets to decide that it’s time for another human to cease living....that’s murder.

MOO

 

[Subiechik21]

I think that manslaughter sentence in Alabama is 2-20 years. I hope that this is the case; and Jeff gets 20 years.

You are correct & I hope he gets the maximum time sentenced.

 

[Subiechik21]

Jury finds Kat West’s husband guilty of manslaughter - Shelby County Reporter

 

[fred&edna]

 

[Catmommy]

I don't care if she did full frontal naked every minute of every day and posted that, she didn't deserve the death she got. There are other ways to express anger and disappointment and end a marriage besides murder.

 

[Stratocaster]

First, RIP Kat, a truly horrible death and a lost wife/mother... Self confessed forensics junkie, from everything I've read her phone flew out the door after a kitchen photo shoot, she goes out naked to retrieve (no massive blood in house) and with timelines of phones/ADT security, he goes across the road and really hits her hard with the bottle full force while she's picking up her phone, she dies shortly after on the curb/grass, he's drunk as and leaves his front door open (ADT) thru the night to stage "a scene" while he's cleaning and paceing (no sleep/all nighter).....hard to believe there's support for this putz, no one wins in this "dirty laundry" case

 

[MimosaMornings]

I know it’s court tv, but I didn’t care for the tone and derision in the video. The emphasis was more on what Kay did and made it sound like she was the only woman doing “racy” shots on IG. Like it was the first time anyone had ever done it and the whole turn your nose up attitude. No matter what she (and her husband who assisted with photos) did - does not mean she is less than a person and deserved to be killed.
JMO

 

[Subiechik21]

I know it’s court tv, but I didn’t care for the tone and derision in the video. The emphasis was more on what Kay did and made it sound like she was the only woman doing “racy” shots on IG. Like it was the first time anyone had ever done it and the whole turn your nose up attitude. No matter what she (and her husband who assisted with photos) did - does not mean she is less than a person and deserved to be killed.
JMO

Couldn't agree more! Bravo & very well said!

 

[Subiechik21]

I don't care if she did full frontal naked every minute of every day and posted that, she didn't deserve the death she got. There are other ways to express anger and disappointment and end a marriage besides murder.

Well said!

 

[PrairieWind]

Thanks, Subie. You did a great job keeping us up to date. I was asleep, too. I had no idea jurors would stay that late to deliberate.

I feel badly for the daughter, too. She deserves to grow up with family who love her and can help her grieve for her mother and deal with the knowledge that her father killed her. That's a heavy burden for a child to bear, requiring intelligent, caring adults.

I agree. I also feel so sad for children in these cases. One parent is dead, and the other in prison. She must feel so lost.

 

[PrairieWind]

I didn't get a chance to follow the trial at all. I've only been able to skim through one or two of the news reports. I saw that there were tons of texts between them that showed she believed he was ready to leave her. Is that correct? The fact that they were having those discussions via text shows that they were having communication issues. Was there any evidence how how much he had drank that night/morning or what his BAC was?

 

[Subiechik21]

Was there any evidence how how much he had drank that night/morning or what his BAC was?

SBBM: I did not see any reports on what his BAC was only hers.If anyone else saw it please feel free to correct me.