A mom and daughter from Morrisville, Pennsylvania, 47-year-old Shana Decree and her 21-year-old daughter Dominique, have pleaded guilty to the murder of five of their close relatives, three being children. The mom and daughter maintained their stance that they are mentally-ill.
They have been charged with five counts of murder, as per The Sun. The pair told authorities that “demons” had instructed them to slaughter their family members, as they all “wanted to die”.
According to Deputy District Attorney Christopher Rees, the killings happened over the course three days. The corpses of Shana’s children, Naa’Irah Smith, age 25, and Damon Decree Jr., age 13, were discovered by a youth services caseworker in February 2019 during a visit to the Decrees’ home.
Along with their bodies were found the remains of Shana’s sister from New Jersey, Jamilla Campbell (42), and Campbell’s nine-year-old twin daughters Erika and Imani Allen.
The coroner’s office concluded that Campbell had been strangled, while the others had been suffocated to death, according to Meaww.
Shana’s attorney Christa Dunleavy said that her client was “isolated and delusional” when she committed the horrific acts and was of the belief that “the world was ending and there were daemons in her house, and she had to obey them.” Dunleavy further declared, “Her family tried to help her… But the delusions were too strong.”.
When the authorities reached the Decrees’ apartment in Morrisville, Pennsylvania, they found Shana and Dominique in a “disoriented” condition — with the furniture turned over, the wall cracked, and glass splayed across the floor.
According to CBS Local, the mom and daughter had long been suffering from severe mental health issues — schizoid personality disorder, major depressive disorder, and PTSD (formerly-called “shell-shock” during the First World War and “battle fatigue” during the Vietnam War).
As per her attorney, John Fioravanti Jr., Dominique has been in mental treatment since she was five years of age.
The two have shown much remorse in regards to the killing, with Shana Decree tearfully saying, ”The hardest thing for me to do is decide who to say I’m sorry to first. To my family, I am sorry for taking away these beautiful souls in such a horrible manner.”
Meanwhile, Dominique admitted that her actions will haunt her in perpetuity. “I’m so sorry for everything that happened, and I truly don’t understand why it happened.”