She was born a star - Mother of slain teacher said she had big plans

A gentle wind swept across the hillside in Good Hope, Clarendon, stirring the leaves of the banana trees as Margaret Mills-Pinnock settled into a plastic chair in her yard.

However, the cool breeze did nothing to ease the heaviness in her voice as she recounted the life of her only daughter, 29-year-old teacher Taehra 'Tara' Pinnock, and her granddaughter Taheilia Wright, who were both killed last week in St Catherine.

"She was born a star," Mills-Pinnock said softly, her eyes fixed on the distant hills as though searching for the little girl she raised. "The only daughter for myself and my husband. From she was a child, she was brilliant--bright like morning."

Pinnock, the youngest of three children, grew up in quiet Good Hope. She attended the basic and primary schools in the community before earning a place at St Hilda's Diocesan High School in St Ann. Her mother's face lit up, briefly, at the memory of the acceptance letter that had arrived more than a decade ago.

"She was so proud, so were we, from early. Tara always had her plans--big plans," she said. But life changed abruptly when, at 14, the grade eight student returned home on holiday and became pregnant for the teenage son of a family friend.

"It wasn't easy," Mills-Pinnock admitted. "But we never gave up on her. The people in the community knew her brilliance, they encouraged us to continue investing in her."

After giving birth at 15, Pinnock was enrolled at the Spanish Town Women's Centre, where she continued her studies while her mother cared for little Taheilia. When she was ready, Pinnock was readmitted to high school--this time at Charlemont in St Catherine, where she excelled.

After graduating, Mills-Pinnock, who had been offered a basic school job, encouraged her daughter to take the position instead. It became the turning point in her career.

"She started teaching at the Jericho Basic School, I believe that's where her love for teaching truly began," her mother said.

Guided by a friend, Tara quietly applied to St Joseph's Teachers' College and was accepted. Her mother still recalls the phone call, surprised and proud. Though finances ran tight, Tara took out student loans and pushed herself through college, determined to stand on her own feet.

"She never liked to bother people. Tara grew into a very independent young woman," Mills-Pinnock said, rubbing her palms together slowly, as if holding something fragile.

After completing college, Pinnock moved to Spanish Town with her daughter. She worked briefly at Independence City Primary School before applying to both Kellits Primary and Bridgeport Primary schools. Accepted by both, she chose Bridgeport, where she taught until her death. It was while commuting to that job that Pinnock met Brandon Maine, the man who police believe killed her and her 14-year-old daughter in a domestic dispute--a tragedy that ended in his apparent suicide last Friday.

"Knowing her, she wanted progress. She probably saw potential in him," her mother said. "She encouraged him to buy his own car and stop driving for other people."

Pinnock had become a small business owner, purchasing two cars and starting a taxi operation. But while she was building a life for herself and her daughter, danger bloomed quietly behind closed doors. Mills-Pinnock opened a small journal Pinnock kept--one she has been reading since her death, discovering the fears and frustrations her daughter never spoke aloud.

"In the writings, I could see she wasn't happy," she said. "All she wanted was someone to stand by her... to treat her the way she treated them." One line in particular haunts her:

" They come like sheep, but the wolf surface."

"That stood out to me," she said, shaking her head slowly. "It was clear something was wrong, but she didn't open up. I tried everything to reach her."

Police say Pinnock and Taheilia were killed in what they believe was a domestic dispute. It is rumoured that Maine told relatives he reacted because he allegedly entrusted Pinnock with $3.5 million for safekeeping--claims the grieving mother dismisses outright.

"That is not true," she said firmly. "Tara wasn't that kind of person."

The heartbreak is compounded by the ambitions Pinnock nurtured. She had begun the process of pursuing a master's degree at an institution in the US and was planning for Taheilia to continue her studies overseas.

"We love our granddaughter dearly," Mills-Pinnock said, pausing to hold back tears. "I raised her. The only thing I didn't do was birth her." Her last memory of them is a quiet Sunday visit just days before the killings.

"I could see Tara wasn't happy. And my granddaughter... it was like she wanted to tell me something, but she held back."

The family plans to bury mother and daughter in a newly prepared plot on the property--an unthinkable first for the family. Now, in the stillness of the Good Hope hillside, their absence feels loud.

"She cared for people. She was loving, industrious, full of positive energy," Mills-Pinnock said. "We are broken... weak... emotionally bankrupt. But she will always be our star."