A woman who drowned her three young children in a bathtub, and tried twice to commit suicide, entered a plea Monday that will send her to a psychiatric facility rather than prison, possibly for the rest of her life.
Leatrice Brewer, 28, pleaded "not responsible by reason of mental disease or defect" after psychiatrists determined she suffered a "major depressive disorder" and believed she killed the children to save them from the potentially fatal effects of voodoo.
The case drew attention to Nassau County's social services agency, whose caseworkers visited Brewer's apartment two days before the killings and found no one home, but neglected to schedule an immediate follow-up visit. Two social workers were later suspended.
Brewer faced three murder counts in the Feb. 24, 2008, deaths. She had told authorities she slashed 6-year-old daughter Jewell in the throat before drowning her, and then drowned the little girl's half-brothers: 5-year-old Michael Demesyeux and 18-month-old Innocent Demesyeux.
Leatrice Brewer, 28, pleaded "not responsible by reason of mental disease or defect" after psychiatrists determined she suffered a "major depressive disorder" and believed she killed the children to save them from the potentially fatal effects of voodoo.
The case drew attention to Nassau County's social services agency, whose caseworkers visited Brewer's apartment two days before the killings and found no one home, but neglected to schedule an immediate follow-up visit. Two social workers were later suspended.
Brewer faced three murder counts in the Feb. 24, 2008, deaths. She had told authorities she slashed 6-year-old daughter Jewell in the throat before drowning her, and then drowned the little girl's half-brothers: 5-year-old Michael Demesyeux and 18-month-old Innocent Demesyeux.
The plea did not sit well with the father of the two young boys, who is suing county officials over the deaths. Innocent Demesyeux said in a statement that Brewer's guilt or innocence "should be decided by regular people on a jury and not by lawyers and politicians."
But other relatives agreed that a mental hospital was the appropriate destination for the troubled woman. more
But other relatives agreed that a mental hospital was the appropriate destination for the troubled woman. more
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