In a horrific piece of news a mother has been arrested for the murder of her two children and the attempted murder of two of her other children, as she and another woman tried to exorcise demons that had allegedly possessed the children, as reported by the Washington Post and several other media outlets.
Police in Montgomery County stated that the two women killed a boy aged one and a girl aged two. Two other siblings, a girl aged 5 and a boy aged 8, were seriously injured and are expected to live.
Z.A., 28, and accomplice M.S., 21, have been formally charged with two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted first-degree murder.
There was no evidence found by police of any type of rituals that were followed in the alleged exorcism.
The commander of the county's major crimes unit, Captain M.J. said, "This was all about what was in their minds. They felt like there was something bad going on with the children, and they were trying to release it."
Police located two knives believed to have been used in the attack: One appears to be similar to a paring knife while the other is a little bit larger.
According to reporters Z.A. has received mental health counseling, moved twice in the last few years, and is separated from her husband. She also maintains a Facebook page that suggests she trusts in God and is afraid of Satan.
M.J. commented, "The Devil was the enemy in their eyes."
Z.A.'s step-grandmother, S.W., said that Z.A. seemed to love and care well for her children. S.W. said, "I cried until I can't cry anymore. Some people are calling what she did evil. She is humble and meek…To me, it takes a sick person to kill something you brought into the world…I don't know what triggered it. She wasn't herself. When a person is not of themselves, they are not responsible for what they are doing. They are in another zone."
On the night of the attack one neighbor had noted a child sitting alone in a parked car and had called 911. When police arrived two women had already removed the child from the car. Officers knocked on Z.A.'s door, however, no one answered and since there were no other signs of trouble they eventually left the area.
The following morning another neighbor saw a car with it's door standing open and a knife covered in blood close by. Officers were again called to the scene and were alerted to the call from the night before. They removed the keys from the car and gained access to the home.
Z.A., hovering over one of the older children when police arrived, tried to escape and was quickly apprehended by officers.
In a Facebook post on November 21, 2011 Z.A. had written, "People are being deceived left and right every day and don't care to realize it. They think it's safe and everything's a game when this world is owned by satan himself who wants to dumb us down to think there's no consequences for what we do."
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