Jackie Boots loves the 21-year-old Leola man who police say killed six of his relatives and hid their bodies in a basement.

Boots, 17, said during an interview at her Honey Brook, Chester County, home Monday she dreamed about sharing a life with Jesse Dee "Jay" Wise Jr. and their 11-month-old daughter, Shaniqua.

Boots said she spent time with Wise on the same weekend police allege he killed members of his family. Police believe the six were killed April 8 or April 9.

The couple spent two nights together, ate fast food, watched movies and talked about their future before police arrested Wise Wednesday.

Boots, a junior at Twin Valley High School in Elverson, Chester County, said Wise never hinted about the killings.

"I'm glad he didn't tell me what happened," Boots said. "I would've turned him in myself because it's just wrong to take a life away, no matter what the situation."

Boots said she has not seen her boyfriend of two years since last Monday, but would like to talk with him again.

"I want to ask him, 'Why? Why do something like this to your family, especially (5-year-old) Chance, because he didn't do anything wrong and had his whole life ahead of him,'" Boots said.

"It's just so hard to believe he could kill his family because they are the only ones who stuck with him through thick and thin, no matter what."

Boots was a 15-year-old Garden Spot High School student living in Churchtown when a friend introduced her to Wise at a party July 4, 2004, she said.

She thought he was handsome, and conversation came easy for them. The teens immediately hit it off and spent the rest of the summer together.

"Jay was different than everyone else," Boots said. "He didn't act like someone he's not."

The four-year age difference didn't matter to Boots. The relationship soon turned intimate, she said, and Boots discovered she was pregnant.

In August 2004, Wise crashed a pickup truck in East Earl Township while on a date with Boots. Both suffered broken bones and were treated at Lancaster General Hospital, she said.

While being examined for a broken collarbone and wrist, a doctor noticed something on a CT scan that indicated Boots might be pregnant.

A home pregnancy test later confirmed the suspicion.

"Jay was happy about it, and even told me he wanted us to have a girl," Boots said. "I had raised my nieces and nephews, so being pregnant so young didn't bother me."

Instead of spending more time with his pregnant girlfriend, however, Wise was getting into trouble, she said. The behavior put a strain on the relationship.

Wise was arrested six times for a variety of crimes including robbery, recklessly endangering another person and possession of a deadly weapon. He was scheduled to plead guilty April 25 in Lancaster County Court.

Boots said she doesn't think Wise will survive in jail.

"Jay doesn't like being told what to do by anyone," Boots said. "The other thing he didn't like about jail is the food."

Boots said that in the past week, she's often thought about the time she spent with Wise in the days before police charged him with six counts of homicide.

The couple ate dinner at a McDonald's April 7 and saw "ATL" at Regal Cinema in Manor Shopping Center.

They spent April 8 together before staying overnight at a Leola motel near the 81 E. Main St. home where Wise lived with his grandparents, aunt and cousins.

Wise paid $50 in cash for the motel room so the couple "could get away from people and chill," Boots said.

The next morning, they checked out of the motel and again ate at a McDonald's.

Wise dropped Boots off at home but returned that night with a copy of the movie "National Security." Wise spent the night with Boots, she said.

Boots skipped school the next day to spend more time with Wise.

"(Wise) never said anything and didn't act weird at all," Boots said. "We actually talked about getting a place together someday so I could stay home with our daughter and he would take care of us."

Boots said she never went into the East Main Street home.

The only thing that seemed unusual during the weekend police say the killings occurred, Boots said, was that Wise drove around in the 1982 Mercedes-Benz that belonged to his grandparents.

Boots said she tried calling Wise several times last Tuesday and Wednesday but got no response. Wise was supposed to bring diapers for their baby.

A friend called her Wednesday afternoon and said the police were at Wise's house.

"I thought Jay had gotten into a fight or something, but I was wrong," Boots said. "The whole thing has been like a bad dream that I can't wake up from."

Lancaster County District Attorney Donald Totaro said Monday he was still considering whether to pursue the death penalty against Wise.

"While we have not yet made a final decision, there are at least two aggravating circumstances in this case that would justify the sentence of death under the law," Totaro said.

Attorneys John Kenneff and Douglas Conrad, both public defenders, were appointed Monday to represent Wise. Neither immediately returned calls for comment.

Intelligencer Journal reporter Justin Quinn contributed to this report blog comments powered by Disqus