NOTE: The following story contains descriptions of violence that may be disturbing to some readers. Discretion is advised.
A 13-year-old girl called police for help just before she and her 10-year-old brother plotted an escape from their mother who had tried to stab them and killed their 4-year-old brother in a horrific series of events, prosecutors said in court Sunday.
The frightening details were laid out by prosecutors in court Sunday as 45-year-old Wendy Tolbert appeared before a Chicago judge.
Officials accused Tolbert of killing one of her children and stabbing the two others multiple times before setting her Logan Square home on fire on the Fourth of July.
Prosecutors said the situation began as Tolbert’s 10-year-old son was playing video games in the home on the 3600 block of West Palmer with his 4-year-old brother sleeping next to him. That’s when they allege Tolbert “out of nowhere” came up from behind with a kitchen knife and stabbed the 10-year-old in the right arm “breaking the skin.”
The 10-year-old managed to get away and begin running towards a basement door just as the 4-year-old started to wake up. As the youngest sibling tried to follow suit, crying as he ran, prosecutors said Tolbert kicked the child in the back, causing him to fall down the stairs before she stabbed him multiple times, authorities said.
The 10-year-old was able to run to his room, which shares a wall with his 13-year-old sister. The teen sister called police at about 9:09 a.m. saying her mother was trying to kill her.
Meanwhile, their mother banged on the door, leading the two siblings to talk to each other through a wall “and came up with a plan to escape.”
Prosecutors said the siblings “came up with a plan to open their doors at the same time.”
But as the children attempted to fight their mother, she stabbed the 13-year-old multiple times in the face, neck and chest, officials said.
When officers arrived, the 10-year-old yelled out the window for help. Officers saw the mother with a knife, a burning paper towel in her hand and a “large amount of blood on her clothing.”
“Within minutes, the building became engulfed in flames,” a bond proffer read in court stated. “Chicago Police officers had to break several windows in the building in order to get the 10-year-old out. Ultimately, the officers had to go through a window to get him out.”
Police also managed to pull the 13-year-old, who was unresponsive, and the 4-year-old from the building as other residents in the building managed to escape the flames.
The 4-year-old victim in the case, identified as Jordan Wallace, died from his injuries as a result of the attack. The 13-year-old victim was intubated and remains hospitalized in critical condition, having undergone multiple surgeries.
The 10-year-old victim was treated for a gash in his arm and released from the hospital.
Prosecutors allege that Tolbert told them during questioning that the three children were “possessed by the devil,” leading to the attack.
In addition to the three children, a 31-year-old woman and 34-year-old man from an adjacent residence were transported in fair condition to Stroger Hospital for smoke inhalation. Three responding officers were also taken to nearby hospitals for smoke inhalation.
Officials said lighter fluid and a bottle of rubbing alcohol were recovered from the scene.
On Sunday, Tolbert was officially charged with one count of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder. She was also charged with six counts of felony aggravated arson, along with multiple counts of aggravated battery.
Her public defender told the judge that the defendant has dealt with mental health issues, and was diagnosed with cancer. She has no criminal history, and a request for electronic monitoring was denied by the judge in the case.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Girl called 911 moments before mom stabbed her and 2 siblings: Prosecutors )
Also on site :
- Possible tornado in Phelps on Monday
- Evacuations ordered after brush fire breaks out in Laguna Beach
- Photos: A blaze at Cairo telecommunications building causes service disruptions