Reetika Vazirani

Reetika Vazirani (August 9, 1962 - July 16, 2003) was an Indian-born American poet who became a murderous villainess when she killed her two-year-old son as part of a murder-suicide.

Reetika emigrated to the US with her family at the age of six, and went on to graduate from Wellesley College in 1984. In her professional life, Reetika wrote White Elephants, which won the Barnard Women Poets Prize in 1995, and wrote World Hotel, which won the Anisfield-Wolf award in 2003. She also served as the Writer-in-Residence at William & Mary College.

Reetika was also married to professor/poet Yusef Komunyakaa, which resulted in the birth of her son, Jehan Vazirani Komunyakaa sometime in 2001. However, it was reported that Reetika became distraught just days prior to her death, with the reason being her relationship with her husband, though no other details were revealed. On July 16, 2003, Reetika was housesitting at the home of novelist Howard Norman in Chevy Chase, Maryland, and while doing so, she left her friend, Denise King-Miller, a voicemail stating that she was going to hurt herself.

Shortly after the call, Reetika turned heel by killing 2-year-old Jehan, slashing her son's wrists before stabbing him to death. The villainess later left a voicemail for her co-worker, stating that she was having an emergency and wanted the co-worker to be able to enter the house, and after ending her call, the evil Reetika slashed her own wrists and stabbed herself to death. Reetika's co-worker found the bodies after entering the house, and it was revealed that the deranged villainess used a different knife in each kill.