Daily US Times: A woman in Pennsylvania and her daughter are expected to spend the rest of their lives in prison after pleading guilty on Monday to killing five of their family members last year, the Buck’s County District Attorney’s office says.
According to the district attorney’s office, Shana Decree, 47, and her 21-year-old daughter Dominique Decree plead guilty but mentally ill to five counts of first-degree murder and one count of criminal conspiracy.
They will serve five consecutive life sentences and avoid the death penalty as part of a plea deal.
The women killed two of Shana’s children, Damon Decree Jr., 13, and Naa’Irah Smith, 25, as well as Shana’s sister, Jamilla Campbell, 42, and her 9-year-old twin daughters Imani and Erika Allen, prosecutors say.
According to the district attorney’s office, the murders of their family members took place between February 23 and 25 in an apartment all seven people shared in Morrisville, Pennsylvania.
John Fioravanti Jr., Dominque’s lawyer, told that this was a troubling case from the beginning.
Fioravanti Jr. said of Dominique: “She was very remorseful and pleasant to deal with. It’s very troubling for me. One of the hardest cases I’ve ever had and I’ve been doing this a long time.”
According to a probable cause affidavit, a social worker conducting a surprise visit knocked on their apartment door but didn’t get an answer. The building’s maintenance crew checked the apartment and less than 20 minutes later, a worker called 911.
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