On Nov. 8, 2023, Kentucky mother Tiffanie Lucas shot her two boys — 9-year-old Jayden Howard and 6-year-old Maurice Baker Jr. — in their Shepherdsville home. The two boys were transported to the hospital and were later pronounced dead.
A neighbor called 911 after Lucas went up to their door and collapsed. In the middle of the 911 call, Lucas regained consciousness and could be heard in the background screaming that her children were dying. The neighbor then went to Lucas’ house where he discovered the two little boys.
Police body cam footage recently released showed the events that transpired next. Upon arriving at the scene, authorities helped Lucas up from the ground and asked if she was on “something” or had been drinking. The mother said no but added she doesn’t “feel right.” EMS conducted a wellness check on her before she was transported to the sheriff’s office for questioning. She claimed she shot herself in the ear, yet there were no visible injuries.
During the interrogation, Lucas said, “I know I look crazy, but I’m not” before saying, “I love my children. I love my boys so much.” She then went on a rant about video games and the internet and how the technology manipulates kids and parents.
“Video games and the YouTube and the kids, it just messes their minds up to where people can manipulate their parent or do whatever they want.”
Lucas appeared paranoid, saying someone had put something in her house or herself. She then broke down in tears and said she loved her kids. Lucas claimed the shooting was accidental and the gun must have gone off after she left it in the bedroom, but the pieces of evidence and the crime scene proved otherwise.
Tiffanie Lucas has been sentenced
Lucas was charged with two counts of murder. In court, detective Richard Beahl recounted what the mother said during his interview with her. Lucas claimed she was manipulated “through Facebook, through the internet or through Wi-Fi” into shooting her children. Lucas initially pleaded not guilty to the charges and spent nearly a year in jail while awaiting trial. However, she changed her plea to guilty without securing a plea deal. This decision waived her right to a trial and eliminated any possibility of future appeals.
Just a little over a year after the murders of Jayden and Maurice, their mother went to court for her sentencing. Her attorney, Richard Lawniczak, claimed that his client suffered from a psychotic break and delusions at the time of the shooting because of opioid withdrawal and asked the judge for a 35-year sentence.
Bullitt County Court Judge Rodney Burress said a mother should provide their children not only with necessities but more importantly, the love and security they need. “I cannot imagine the sheer horror these children must have experienced seeing their mother with a gun,” he told Lucas. Family members also spoke out about the depravity of the situation and how Lucas ripped their lives apart by killing two innocent children.
Judge Burress sentenced Lucas to two life sentences with eligibility for parole after 20 years, per Kentucky law. However, Bullitt County Commonwealth Attorney Bailey Taylor said the possibility of Lucas being released on parole after just 20 years is highly unlikely.
Published: Nov 27, 2024 01:03 am