US Woman Arrested For Killing Sons Claims She Was “Manipulated Through Facebook”

A 32-year-old US woman accused of fatally shooting her two sons claimed that she was “manipulated through Facebook” ahead of the brutal killing. According to Newsweek, the woman, identified as Tiffanie Ann Katherine Lucas, has been charged with the murders of her two sons, 6-year-old Maurice Baker Jr. and 9-year-old Jayden Howard. The boys died in hospital on November 8 after they were reportedly found bleeding out next to a gun at their family home in Kentucky. The judge declared Ms Lucas a danger to others and set her bond at $2 million the following day. 

On Tuesday, during a court appearance, Bullitt County Sheriff’s detective Richard Beahl took to the stand and shared details from his interview with the 32-year-old from when she was questioned last week. According to Newsweek, Mr Beahl revealed that both the boys were shot in the head and four shots were fired in roughly 30 seconds. He said that Ms Lucas claimed the shooting was an “accident”. She also stated that she must have been “manipulated”. 

“I asked Ms Lucas if she meant to hurt her children. She indicated that it was an accident,” Mr Beahl told the court. She was in “such a bad spot,” she told investigators. “I’m so stupid,” she said, adding that she “would never do anything like this unless someone manipulated me”. 

Ms Lucas claimed “she was being manipulated through Facebook, through the internet or through WiFi, being manipulated into doing what she did,” Mr Beahl said.

Also Read | US School Counsellor Arrested For Allegedly Sexually Assaulting 14-Year-Old Student

According to Fox affiliate WDRB, Maurice Baker Jr’s stepmother, Michelle Rice, however, rejected the idea of manipulation. “Nobody can manipulate you to do such a horrific thing. Nobody can manipulate you to do that. That’s yourself,” she said. 

Ms Rice also described the scene in the courtroom as Ms Lucas watched the testimony. “She showed no emotion… She shows no emotion,” she said. 

On November 8 a neighbour called the cops after discovering the wounded boys in a bedroom of their home, next to a gun on the bed. The neighbour told officials that he was returning home when he saw Ms Lucas “collapse” in his driveway. “When he approached her, she told him that her ‘kids were dying,'” the detective told the court, adding that the neighbour ran inside to try to “save” the boys. 

The boys were rushed to a nearby hospital, however, they succumbed to their injuries a few hours later, the officials said.