Law&Crime Sidebar - Pregnant Woman Who Shot Baby's Father Learns Fate

Episode Date: February 6, 2026

A Georgia woman, Heather Nicole McCall, will spend years in prison after she shot and killed her on-again, off-again boyfriend Jeremy Howard. Law&Crime’s Jesse Weber digs into body camera footage, photo evidence, and court documents to see how Athens-Clarke County police investigated the chaotic scene, the questions McCall faced while pregnant, and the consequences for pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter and reckless conduct.HOST:Jesse Weber: https://twitter.com/jessecordweberLAW&CRIME SIDEBAR PRODUCTION:YouTube Management - Bobby SzokeVideo Editing - Michael Deininger, Christina O'Shea, Alex Ciccarone, & Jay CruzScript Writing & Producing - Savannah Williamson & Juliana BattagliaGuest Booking - Alyssa Fisher & Diane KayeSocial Media Management - Vanessa BeinSTAY UP-TO-DATE WITH THE LAW&CRIME NETWORK:Watch Law&Crime Network on YouTubeTV: https://bit.ly/3td2e3yWhere To Watch Law&Crime Network: https://bit.ly/3akxLK5Sign Up For Law&Crime's Daily Newsletter: https://bit.ly/LawandCrimeNewsletterRead Fascinating Articles From Law&Crime Network: https://bit.ly/3td2IqoLAW&CRIME NETWORK SOCIAL MEDIA:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawandcrimeTwitter: https://twitter.com/LawCrimeNetworkFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/lawandcrimeTwitch: https://www.twitch.tv/lawandcrimenetworkTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lawandcrimeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A Georgia woman will spend the next several years behind bars, watching her daughter grow up from afar after she shot and killed the girl's father. Okay. And I'm pregnant. All right. Let's walk over here. I didn't mean to shoot him. All right. Walk over here. I didn't need to shoot him.

Oh my God. We dug through documents, evidence photos, body camera footage to get a closer look at how Athens, Clark County Police investigated this case and the consequences that Heather Nicole McCall faced. Welcome to Sidebar. Presented by Law and Crime. I'm Jesse Weber. When police arrived at a mobile home on nowhere road in Athens, Georgia, early in the morning on June 12th, 2024, they found a chaotic and very upsetting scene.

31-year-old Jeremy Tyrone Howard had a bullet wound in his abdomen. He yelled to officers that he was having trouble breathing, thrashed on the ground as first responders tried to stabilize him. His on again, off again girlfriend, 26 year old Heather Nicole McCall, was anxious and afraid, demanding no, if Jeremy was going to live. And as an officer pulled her away from where his colleagues and eventually an ambulance crew were trying to save him, McCall started to reveal what had happened. Take a look. Is he going to be allowed? Okay, we'll take a look at it in a second. Where's the firearm? No, no, no, no, stay right there. No, don't get anything. All right, step over there. Step over there with it. Step over there.

in the kitchen. Okay, step over there. Step away from her. Step away from him. Go step over there. I'm sorry. You're good, man. I'm sorry. You're good. Help me. Hang on. Help me. Hold on pressure on that. I'm sorry. Put pressure on that man. I'm pregnant. I'm pregnant. Jeremy, I'm right here. I'm right here, Jeremy. I'm trying to breathe. Hold that. Put your knee on him on that arm right there. Hold him down. Chill. Jeremy, I'm right here, Jeremy. I can't get this. You're all right, man, you're right, man. You're right, Jeremy, look, I'm right here, Jeremy. Look, we got an ambulance in route, okay?

Where's the fire arm out? Is it through and through? Yep, it's through and through a little move with. Help me! Where's that other one out? Jeremy, I'm not here. I'm not here, Jimmy. He can't breathe.

I know. You're all right, man. Hey, get her back. Just get her back for me. He needs to drag her away. She's pregnant, just be careful with her. I'm pregnant. Stand up.

Step back. Come back. Jeremy. He's all right. That's not the father of my child and I'm pregnant. Alright, let's walk over here. I didn't mean to shoot him. I didn't mean to shoot him.

I didn't mean to shoot him. Sit on the porch right here. I did not mean to shoot him. Okay. What happened here? Okay. Hang on a second. Okay.

Is he going to be okay? Hang on. Let me read this to you real quick. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can, can, will be used against you in the court of law. You have the right to talk to a lawyer and have the present. do a lawyer and have present with you or why you're being questioned you cannot afford to hire a lawyer one will be appointed to represent you before any questioning if you wish you can decide at any time

there says these rights are not answering my question or make any statements do you understand each of these rights that i explain to you yes do you want to speak to me now yes okay what happened me okay so we yesterday the other day like to yesterday or day before yesterday okay we were in we got an argument yesterday. He put his hands on me. He said he hated me. He said that he cheated on me. He said that he cheated on me. Okay? So I said, okay, why never see you again? I dropped him off. Okay. He lives, he stays at Smoky Road, which is like right up there. Okay. And then he called me this morning, just telling me to come pick him up and everything. I said, no, I said, never, don't talk to me again, and I blocked him, okay? That white guy over there,

he's just my friend, he just came to fix something over here. He's a maintenance man. He came, my trash can, is electric trash can. It, like, the text batteries or whatever, and I didn't know how to do it. So he just stopped by, he was in the neighborhood, he stopped by, to fix the batteries in a trash can. And the person that lives here, he is about to get off work like 8 o'clock. His name's Blake. Okay. That's my roommate. Okay. So, someone knocked at the door. My friend over there, he just opened it, didn't look who it was, and then he walks in, charges at me, and there's guns all in the house from protection, and I just just pointing it at him. I did not know that it was loaded, did not know that it was in the chamber, did not know none of that.

It did not mean to pull the trigger and nothing like that. Okay. I was pointing at him, telling him to get out. All right. Yeah, all right. Is he going to stay alive? Is he going to be alive? He's going to be fine.

That's my baby's son. Okay. That's my baby's down. My baby's not even born you. He's okay. We got ambulance en route. Fire's here. They're going to take good care of him, okay?

I need you to keep talking to me. So he walks in the house. You knew who it was at this point. Yes, that's my baby's father. I still love him. What is... Where was the gun at when you grabbed it? It was in the bedroom.

Okay, what kind of gun was it? A 45. Okay, 45. I don't know that much about a gun. Okay. Whose gun is it? It is. Dude who lives here.

Okay. You've been staying here for how long? Since, like, the end of March. Okay. Where did you grab the gun at? It was just in the bedroom on his dresser. On his dresser. Is he gonna be alive?

Yes, he's fine. He's fine. You grabbed the gun, was it a handgun? Was it a rifle? It's a pistol, yes. Okay. All right. How many times did you fire it?

Once, on accident. I didn't even mean to do that. I didn't know that it was loaded. Okay. You had your finger on the trigger? I didn't know that I did. I was just holding it, like trying to scare him. Okay.

When officers came over here, where did the gun end up? the gun end up. Where's it at? It's where I left it? Where's it? It's like in the kitchen on the floor or I don't know. I dropped it as soon as it went off. Like I ran over there to Jeremy and then I tried to help him. I thought he was dying.

Like that's my baby, that's the father of my, I'm pregnant. That's the father of my child. Like I did not mean to shoot him. So according to McCall, she and Jeremy had been dealing with domestic violence in the relationship practically since they started seeing each other several months before. They weren't living together. Instead, she was staying in the trailer with a friend, and that friend Blake allegedly didn't want Jeremy there. This is due in part to alleged drug issues.

So Blake was still at work, this is according to McCall, when Jeremy showed up that morning unannounced. But it wasn't just McCall offering up an explanation. Now, you had this second male friend who'd apparently come by to see her, was there when things went down. And in an interview on scene with an officer, he explained that he had just come over when Jeremy came through the door. Where's she at? She's up there already in handcuffs, getting a statement by the police. Oh, this is her phone? She called the one night one-one and I literally just got in here.

Did you know her? I just met her maybe about a week and a half ago. Are you saying up here? No, sir, no sir, no sir, no sir, no sir. I came over to visit, I just did a drop the friend off in Atlanta. Were you here when this happened? Yes, I was here for like three minutes and it happened. Okay.

So I came in, we were hanging out, met her dog. He came in, went to go, he's like, I need an ID or a card or something. And I guess that's the baby daddy. Something happened with some cheating, something like that. So I was like, I'm gonna give you a minute. This is your personal conversation? Walked out the door, came in my car to grab something for maintenance. I think there's a drill or something that's going to change the,

oh no, batteries because it says a trash handler. And then I hear a pop, but it didn't tell like a gun. To me it did not because it was inside. And then all I hear is, oh, oh, and he's walking out the thing, coming out of steps, and you see the bullet shot. And it was accident. She was like, it's an accident because she was trying, I guess, leave me the a fuck alone. Leave me the fuck alone because he has, he had beaten her before.

It's what she says. What she says. I don't, I've never seen it. I don't know. Gotcha. And then she comes out. You know if I put you down as a. Yes, sir.

Yes, sir. Yes, sir. I was there here for three minutes. Right up here, sir, on this side. Now, as the medics prepare to load Jeremy into an ambulance, McCall realizes that her dog likely escaped from the trailer as all of this was going on. Is anybody else in here? No. Yeah, there's nobody in the dog. My dog. Where's the dog at? I don't know. They're not worried about the dog. I'm worried about my dog.

She's sweet. She's not vicious, but but she can't get out. She'll run away and that's my like that's my like service dog. Like my animals are like not. She don't have her work nothing. But like I have panic attacks and everything. That's what that's like she helps me like I have to have my dog. And McCall is also worried about the officer seeing her nude. photos when he asks for access to her phone. Does this have a password on it? Yes. Do you mind if I have your password? Why? Well, we're going to go through the whole phone anyway.

It's just going to make it easier if we have a password. We don't have to wipe everything. We're going to have to go through the phone anyway. I'm just trying to get a password so to make it a little easier on us. Okay, well, I have only for him? That's fine. and have like news on there and stuff. Yeah, we're not, we're not looking for anything like that.

It's just, it's just to find evidence. There's nothing on there about a gun, nothing like that. We still have to go through it. Okay. McCall decides, you know what, she'd like to talk to an attorney before turning over her phone's passcode. And for the moment, the officers decide it's okay. Let's move McCall's handcuffs to the front, but she also has another request. Take a look.

I'm gonna get you to stand up, Ms. McCall. Okay, did you talk to the witness? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, we're getting a great. Then our story is not. Just step down here, we're gonna swap handcuffs. Can I get some shoes? Yeah, just step right there, we'll take care of all that.

Any of the way? They should be, yeah, there's slides in my room, which is on the other end of the house. How far along are you? Four months. Okay. We're gonna get any handcuffs moved up to the front. Yeah, because they're part.

We're gonna switch them out, okay? Just as your compound collected, we got you. Yes, yes, okay. I did not need to do then. Just keep your hands right up front, okay? Fancy cuffs. Okay, we switch them out? Oh yeah, yeah, yeah.

Just keep your hands right here for me, to put them together with the Santa Farrell. Wonderful. That'd be a little bit better for you up here. Thank you. Just a little bit more comfortable, okay? That's all right, in the orders. Is there any possible way that, I know this is probably like a crazy request, but is there any possible way that I could hit my baker or something because I'm in my account of the bank.

Yeah, we can't allow that and we don't know what's in there. Or a cigarette. I know I'm pregnant, but like, like, my nervous is poor up right now. Like, I can't, like, I hate myself right now for this. I'm so worried, like, is he going to die? I don't think he's going to die. You don't think he's going to die? Do you, like, what percentage do you know think he's going to die? I can't evaluate that, but, I mean.

Like, guess? I don't have any guess. I just, I think he'll pull through. Yeah, you got to be positive about these kind of thing. McCall arrives at the police station, and this is when she continues to ask about Jeremy's condition. thing we can't we can't we can't just get somebody's medical information I think he's gonna be okay I hope so I don't I don't know have you ever like like a shooting yeah like that kind of like yeah I mean like that officer

was saying that he dealt with something like that before yeah the dude got shot in the back yeah and he died I got you I have no idea it all just kind of depends if you just kind of depends if you want to sit in that great chair. Can I have something that you drink? Can I pay you and have something to drink? Um, yes, hold on just a second. I will come back and get you to go to the bathroom and just a second and we'll find some water for you. You just want to sit and that gray chair over there. Then it became the interview, right? So two detectives, they grill McCall about what happened here, having her go over every piece of this story again and again and again. And according to McCall, she and Jeremy's most recent fight was over him, allegedly

cheating on her. And she claimed she glimpsed messages with another girl on Jeremy's phone, but he refused to tell her anything about who he was talking to and why. She claims that when Jeremy showed up on June 12th, he wanted some of his belongings that he'd left at the trailer, including his social security card. So I was looking for his social security card, and I was like, let me tell me her name. I did it to you. He was like, there's no name. I was just line. I was just line. Yeah. And then I was like, get out, get out, and not too much, get out. And then you wouldn't get out. And then so I started yelling and still wouldn't get out. And then I was afraid that he was going to, like, hit me again. Yeah. I remember that Blake said, you know, here's all these guns. He was like, you know,

I've got to be your rear if you want to, which I didn't want to because I'm not familiar with guns like that. I was only shot a gun like once or twice and it was at like a target. And I thought the gun was unloaded. I did not know that gun was loaded. Okay. And I did not know that my finger was like where the trigger was. Yeah. So I was just trying to scare him. Uh-huh.

And so I went and got the gun out of Blake's room. And I was like, not pointing it at him. I was putting it at the floor. Oh. I was like, get out, get out. And he still didn't get out. And I just started yelling. and I guess like, you know, when you're mad and you're yelling, like, your body might tear itself or something.

Yeah. In my hand, like, like, squeeze it on accident. Like, I did not mean to do that at all. Okay. Like, I've been in here, like, praying that he, like, if he died, it's like, I'm never going to forgive myself. Okay. Yeah, well, we'll check on his condition a little bit. Do you think he'll be okay?

They got, you know, I don't really know how. I said it went all the way through. Okay. Sometimes that's good news. You know, you never know. They get good doctors at the hospital, so I'm sure they're going to do the absolute best they can. So as soon as I realized what happened,

like, my ears was ringing and everything, and he was like, he shot me. So I think I put the gun on the ground or I put it on the counter. Okay. And then I ran over to him, and I was like, like, like, hug you, and I was like, like,

I'm sorry. I'm sorry. And then, um, so then Jeremy said, call 911, call 911. So I was looking for my phone and I called 911. And then, um, I don't remember how Jerry, like, got outside. I guess, I guess, um, Jeremy told him to go out there because the ambulance would be coming. Okay, yeah. Yeah, I think we heard the ambulance, so he went out there and he was laying on the ground.

And I was like, I remember seeing a movie like, probably, pressure. So I was like taking a shirt and applying pressure and pointed his head and I was like, look at me, look at me, look at me, look at me. And at first he was like, like I thought he was direct, he was like, like, his eyes were like the clothes. He was like, um, like making that noise. Yeah. And then I was like, look, too, please look in, please look in. I was like, I love someone, I love him and everything. And then, um, Jeremy brought me like a dish towel. And I was like, do I process pressure? He was like, yeah. So I was part of pressure and I was like, I was like, I'm I'm sorry, I love you, I love him.

I was kissing him. He was like, he did, finally up with his eye. He was like, I love you too. And I was like, I'm sorry I did believe to do that. And he was like, and I love you for me. You're like, yeah. And I was like, please don't die.

And that's the ambulance came, you know, and had a handcuffs. It started out not a bad argument. And it never really tended to be like this. Yeah. Like, I'm like, I'm like, pray. Like, I was in her praying, like, and I was, I don't even pray like that he lives because if he dies, like I said, they got good doctors, so we'll check on that in just a bit.

They got to do all their stuff like there, you know, make sure that everything's all x-rays and whatnot. He started yelling and I started yelling and that, like, I don't, I guess like, when you're yelling, like, you like, you know, like, your fistball up or something. Yeah. Like, desperate. Like, because I didn't even realize that I had shot him. And once I realized it, like, I was like, I'm not. You just kind of heard the noise all of a sudden. My ears was ringing.

Okay. And then he was like, you shot me. And then I was like, like, God. Okay. So, yeah, you heard that there. Jeremy is still alive. But unfortunately, he did end up succumbing to his injuries once he got to the hospital, although his exact time of death is unclear.

Now, back to McCall. The detectives, they leave her on her own for a while. And when they come back, they wanted to drill down on exactly what she was thinking when she grabbed Blake's gun. This is very, very important for the analysis. So your purpose for getting the firearm, was it because he was there? Or was it because you were afraid that he was going to hurt you? Or was it because you wanted him out of the house before Blake got there? The Blake part, that's like the last, the least important part.

Okay. I got the gun because I just wanted him to leave. You wanted to leave? I wanted to leave. I just wanted to try to scare him to get him to leave because I know he's stubborn and he don't, he don't leave. He makes like situations like worse. Like I was afraid that he was going to put his hands on me. Okay.

Did he make any threats? to put his hands on you or anything like that? No. No? He never does, like verbally. Okay. It was solely to just bear him, to get him, and he knows that I would never shoot him,

and I would never shoot him. Like, it was an accident. Like, I hate my son. You know, because obviously a shooting happened, so we want to just maybe kind of figure out the reason that it all ultimately occurred. So do you think in your mind that this was an accident? Or do you think it was self-defense?

It was an accident. Okay. It was supposed to be like, like, kind of like, like, scaring self-defense. Yeah. Because I thought it was remoted, and then it was 100%. an accident. Right. Because as soon as it happened, like, I ran over two and then I was, like, John.

Right. Well, I'll tell you what, let me go check, if you call and see if we can get a condition on him. Please. And then I'm, we'll check back. I'm going to talk to Jeremy real quick. And, you know, obviously they need to do all their work and all that and make sure they get whatever. Because I know that with, you know, when somebody get shot, they always do that actually raise and they do all kinds of stuff so a lot of times you don't hear exactly what's going on

from you know yeah i'll check on all that and i'll let you know after hours of questioning the detectives tell mccall that jeremy didn't survive is he okay unfortunately he did not survive what yeah the doctors did everything oh my god oh my god i'll give you a second just to be here by your Is that okay? Is that be alright with you? If you need us, you can knock on the door. Like this is kind of a lot for you to process. Oh my God, I can't believe it.

Do you want us to give you a little bit of space? That way you can process? Located the dog yet, or I don't know what to start. Neither. Tell you what, I'll ask the officers over there if they've found your dog at least, okay? Anything we can answer for you or... You have any questions for us? Am I going to go to Jim for murder?

No. No. Obviously, what somebody does get in a situation like this, we do have to look at what laws were broken. But I don't, we're not going to be charging you with murder or anything. What we're looking at is probably leave. He's at the hospital right now, so we can't really, we can't really facilitate that. Now, it's at this point the investigators give McCall some space, right, to process what just happened, what she was told. When they come back, McCall's on the floor.

Hey, Heather. We're going to go ahead and transport you, okay? Go to the jail, all right? I need you to stand up for me, okay? Just stand up for me, okay? We can't do that. He's at the hospital, okay? Yes, ma'am.

He's passed away, yeah. Go ahead and stand up for me, Heather. Come on. Stand up for me. Can we help you get your shoes? Where do you? Come on. You stand up with a boy?

Can you turn my hand? Stand up for me, okay? Stand up. You can do it. Oh my god. We're going to see your shoes on. We're going to need some again, okay? But it's just going to go in the front again, okay?

A hug? You're okay. Keep sending me. Why we let her just have a seat for a minute? for a minute because we're still kind of talking about some things. Heather, can I get you water or something? There's one under the chair in. Okay.

That they rolled to the back. So you all the way on the chair. The dogs are all off. Yeah, we're just baiting a couple things. Yeah. I'm not sure. We don't know that. We don't have a time or anything.

So what happens? Well, the officers, they recommend charges of involuntary manslaughter and reckless conduct, which a grand jury did later agree with. They returned a true bill of indictment. So officers transported McCall to the nearby jail. But the thing is, because of her pregnancy and the shock that she's just endured, the jail staff, they want her checked out at the hospital before they admit her. So McCall spent a few hours at the hospital before actually being sent back to lockup. And according to reporting from the Athens Banner Herald, McCall spent around three. months in jail before bailing out and going to live with her grandparents outside of Clark County. And in September of 2024, McCall posted photos from her baby shower, continued to update her Facebook page with photos of her daughter once she was born. But in December of 2025, that's when McCall agreed to plead guilty to the felony, involuntary manslaughter and misdemeanor reckless conduct charges. And prior to her sentencing, right, prior to when she'll learn her fate, family members sent letters to the judge actually in support of McCall. A woman who described herself as McCall's great-grandmother referred to the new mom as a, quote,

very sweet person and a troubled child. The handwritten letter continued, she never meant to hurt anyone. She's not that kind of person. I love her and pray that they have mercy on her and give her a chance to raise that baby. So I'm asking, can the court give her a chance? I know it is asking a lot, but I believe in the Lord to work out something and let her come home and raise her baby. recalls grandmother whom she'd been living with also wrote to the court quote heather was not brought up to wrong we raised her up with christian morals she made a mistake and got with the wrong man that she thought loved her but he was mental and abusive to her physically and mentally during the relationship we pray the court will find favor with her well judge in the end sentenced mccall to 10 years so the

first four will be served in prison in confinement and the remaining six on probation just a really really, really sad story. It's all we have for you right now here on Sidebar, everybody. Thank you so much for joining us. And as always, please subscribe on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, wherever you should get your podcasts. We're also up on NBC's Peacock as well. If you want to follow me, X, Instagram, my News Nation show, Jesse Weber Live, Monday through Friday, 11 p.m. Eastern. I'll see you next time, everybody.