The Kentucky mother accused of fatally shooting her two young boys in the head in under 30 seconds called it an “accident,” a detective revealed Tuesday in court.
Tiffanie Lucas is charged with two counts of murder in the Nov. 8 killing of little Maurice “Peanut” Baker Jr., 6, and Jayden Howard, 9.
After the shooting, Bullitt County Det. Richard Beahl interviewed the 32-year-old mother and shared the details of their conversation at a preliminary hearing.
“I asked Ms. Lucas if she meant to hurt her children,” Beahl testified. “She indicated that it was an accident.”
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Lucas, wearing an orange jumpsuit and shackles, stared without emotion as Beahl described their exchange during the three-hour interview at the sheriff’s office.
According to the detective, Lucas blurted, “I’m in such a bad spot,” “I’m so stupid,” and “I would never do anything like this unless someone manipulated me.”
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The suspect “made statements that she was being manipulated through Facebook, through the internet or through Wi-Fi — through Facebook and through her Wi-Fi — being manipulated into doing what she did,” Beahl added.
A total of four shots were fired at a Brentwood Drive home in Shepherdsville.
District Court Judge Jennifer Porter found enough probable cause to send the case to a grand jury to vote on an indictment. Lucas is being held on $2 million bond.
After the murders, Lucas ran outside and collapsed in a neighbor’s driveway around 11 a.m.
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She allegedly told a neighbor her “kids were dying,” Bullitt County Chief Deputy Alex Payne told Law&Crime.
According to a criminal complaint obtained by Fox News Digital, the neighbor appeared to have made the horrifying discovery when he went into the bedroom to check on the children.
“Deputies arrived to the location and was [sic] advised by the caller that there were two victims in the bedroom who were covered in blood and a gun was on the bed,” the complaint says.
The children were rushed to Norton Children’s Hospital in Louisville, about 20 miles from the home. They died later that day from their injuries.
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The boys “were shot in an area that would not be survivable by anyone,” Payne said.
The chief deputy speculated that Lucas’ attack on Jayden and Maurice was spurred by mental illness, drug use, “pure evil” or some combination of those factors.
“Right now, I guess it’s anybody’s guess as to which one of those she covers,” he told Law&Crime.
Lucas’ criminal history includes arrests for drug possession and speeding.
The adult brother of the two boys, Durrell Howard, told WLKY several family members had contacted child protective services over the years to report their concerns about Lucas’ parenting.
“We wanted them. We would have taken them with open arms. We loved them so much,” he said. “I should have done more. If it came to me snatching the boys out of the house, I should have, and I will hold that on my back for the rest of my life — for both them boys.”
Lucas’ court-appointed attorney, Richard Lawniczak, didn’t immediately return a request for comment.