Martinez woman was pregnant when mom stabbed her in the stomach, homicide investigators say

MARTINEZ — Authorities have revealed an even more tragic twist to the recent stabbing death of a 19-year-old woman, allegedly at the hands of her mother: the victim was pregnant when her mom reportedly stabbed her in the stomach, killing both her daughter and unborn grandchild.

Brittney Kazee, 36, allegedly used a small kitchen knife to stab 19-year-old Shaniyah Kazee in the stomach during an argument in the parking lot of their apartment on Fig Tree Lane. There were multiple eyewitnesses who saw different parts of the alleged crime, including Shaniyah’s boyfriend, who may have been the subject of the argument, authorities said.

One area resident saw Brittney Kazee walk by, covered in blood, holding the suspected murder weapon, authorities said. Another told the news station KRON 4 that Shaniyah’s boyfriend attempted to keep her alive while paramedics were on their way.

The stabbing occurred Nov. 18, at about 1:40 p.m., police said. Authorities say the Brittney, Shaniyah, and Shaniyah’s boyfriend resided at the apartment complex together.

Authorities say they learned of Shaniyah’s pregnancy during her autopsy. It is unlikely to directly impact the case; she was too early into her pregnancy for the fetus to count as a separate homicide victim under state law, though Contra Costa prosecutors have previously filed double murder charges for the deaths of pregnant women who were far enough along.

In the time it took for police to arrive, Brittney allegedly changed her clothes and got rid of the knife she used to kill Brittney, authorities said.

Brittney pleaded not guilty to murder with the use of a knife, court records show. She is being held in Contra Costa County and is next due in court in February for a pretrial hearing. Authorities say that at the time of her arrest she had active warrants for violating probation and allegedly crashing her car, then fleeing, while intoxicated. Her bail has been set at $2.03 million, court records show.