A Texas man, Jalin J. Foreman, 27, was arrested Monday for the murder of his ex-girlfriend, Jalen Whitlock Easterling, 25, during her daughter’s birthday party. The tragic incident occurred in front of the couple’s two young children, ages 6 and 4, according to Houston authorities.
Foreman, who had previously been suspected of shooting at Easterling’s home in July, turned himself in and was charged with one count of murder. According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by The HuffPostThe shooting occurred Sept. 12 at Easterling’s home, where she was celebrating her oldest daughter’s birthday.
Easterling’s cousin, Ashlynn McBride, shared details of the tragic event in a GoFundMe Appealclaiming that Foreman had been harassing and stalking his cousin in the months leading up to the shooting. Police records indicate that Foreman and Easterling had dated for about a year before their relationship ended. Since June 2023, Foreman had allegedly caused problems for Easterling and her current boyfriend.
On the day of the shooting, Foreman arrived at Easterling’s home to drop off a birthday present for her daughter but was not allowed inside, leading to a heated argument between him, Easterling and her boyfriend. According to the affidavit, Foreman returned to his car to retrieve a gun and began yelling threatening phrases such as “I know where you live” and “Come and get me.”
Easterling’s boyfriend, fearing an imminent shootout, retrieved his own handgun from the kitchen. As tensions rose, Easterling grabbed her children near the door, but a shootout broke out between Foreman and her boyfriend. Tragically, Easterling was caught in the crossfire and fatally shot. Witnesses later told police that after the initial shootout, Foreman briefly left the scene in his vehicle, but returned yelling, “We’re going to end this now” and threatening to reload his gun.
Responding officers arrived at the scene around 8:35 p.m. and found Easterling dead in her front door with a gunshot wound to the left side of her face. Foreman is now in custody as authorities continue to investigate the tragic events. Easterling’s death has left her family and community devastated, especially her two young daughters, who witnessed the horrific incident.
