A mother and daughter from Pennsylvania were sentenced to life in jail for taking the lives of five family members, including children.
47-year-old Shana Decree and her adult daughter 21-year-old Dominique Decree thought the world was about to end and they decided to strangle and suffocate their relatives.
President Judge Wallace Bateman told the mother and daughter that they had caused ‘unimaginable’ harm.
As he sentenced the defendants, Bateman said: “This is horrible and tragic, because I do believe the two of you have expressed remorse,
“Unfortunately, that doesn’t bring them back. You can’t say, “Sorry” and expect people to move on with their lives.”
“The hardest thing for me to do is decide who to say I´m sorry to first,” Shana tearfully expressed. “To my family, I am sorry for taking away these beautiful souls in such a horrible manner.”
Dominique broke down in tears and said her actions will haunt her forever.
“I’m so sorry for everything that happened, and I truly don’t understand why it happened.”
A children and youth service caseworker found the bodies of Shana Decree’s children, Damon Decree Jr., 13, and Naa’lrah Smith, 25; Shana Decree’s sister Jamilla Campbell, 41, and Campbell’s twin daughters, Erika and Imani, both 9.
The coroner’s office determined that Campbell had been strangled while the others had been suffocated.
Psychiatrists and psychologists appointed by the court concluded that both defendants had severe mental conditions, including major depressive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and schizoid personality disorder.
Shana’s attorney, Christa Dunleavy, said her client was delusional at the time of the killings and believed ‘the world was ending and there were demons in her house, and she had to obey them.
“Her family tried to help her,” Dunleavy explained. “But the delusions were too strong.”
Attorneys for both defendants said the two had expressed remorse after the killings.
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