A mother suspected of mental illness in Chicago claimed that her children were “possessed by demons” and actually killed her three children with a knife, resulting in one death and two injuries. The prosecutor charged her with first-degree murder and other felonies.
According to Newsweek, the 45-year-old defendant Wendy Tolbert said in court on the 6th that because the children were “possessed by demons”, she decided to end their lives with her own hands, and then set fire to the house.
Cook County Judge James Murphy reprimanded the defendant in court: “This is a completely violent crime. You not only endanger your own children, but also the neighbors who live in the same apartment and the police at the scene are also a threat.”
The murder case caused the death of the 4-year-old son, and the other 13-year-old and 10-year-old siblings were injured to varying degrees. It also caused many neighbors and police officers at the scene to be sent to the hospital for treatment due to smoke inhalation. Therefore, the judge refused to release the defendant on bail and continued to detain him pending trial.
The public defender pointed out that the defendant had a history of mental illness and was recently diagnosed with cancer, but the prosecutor still charged him with multiple crimes including first-degree murder, attempted murder, aggravated arson and aggravated assault.
Police said that on the morning of the 4th, the defendant stabbed his 10-year-old son who was playing video games with a knife at his residence in Logan Square. The latter fled to the basement after being injured; and the 4-year-old son who was sleeping on the sofa was kicked down the stairs by his mother and then stabbed 36 times.
The 13-year-old daughter saw this and called the police and claimed that “Mom wanted to kill her”, but she was still killed by her mother during the escape.
When the police arrived at the scene quickly, the 10-year-old boy called for help from the window, and the defendant set fire with a burning paper towel. The fire affected the residents upstairs and the neighbors next door, causing the roof to collapse.
The police then arrested the defendant and arranged for him to undergo a mental evaluation. The defense lawyer requested electronic monitoring on the grounds that the defendant had no criminal record, but was rejected by the court.
The 13-year-old eldest daughter was sent to the hospital and underwent multiple surgeries and intubation. She is still under observation in the intensive care unit. As for the 10-year-old boy, he has been discharged after treatment and is not seriously ill.
The grandfather of the two siblings, Julius Davis, said sadly: “We can’t accept it. We are trying to find a direction. The most important thing is that we want to help the children move on.” Grandmother Debra Davis also couldn’t hide her sadness and said frankly: “Our baby is gone. It’s so heartbreaking.”
The local community raised more than 3,600 yuan through the fundraising website GoFundMe, hoping to help the two siblings get through the difficult times.
