Georgia mother charged in deadly stabbing spree

LOGANVILLE: A Georgia woman who the police believe fatally stabbed four of her children and her husband was charged with five counts of murder on Thursday. A fifth child was taken to a hospital with serious injuries.

The woman, Isabel Martinez, 33, was discovered with the bodies of her family members inside a home in Loganville, Georgia, a small city about 55km east of Atlanta, the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.

In addition to the five counts of murder, Ms Martinez was also charged with five counts of “malice murder” and six counts of aggravated assault. She is being held without bond, the Sheriff’s Office said. She was also being held for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, officials said.

Authorities did not offer any clues as to the motive behind the killings, though neighbours reported the woman’s father had died recently.

“What prompts a person to take the life of such innocent children and her spouse is something we may never understand,” the Gwinnett County Police Department said in a statement. “This is a horrendous crime not only for the victims but for the extended family, neighborhood and community.”

Ms Martinez told police that she and her husband, Martin Romero, 33, were parents of the children, according to the sheriff’s statement. Late on Thursday police identified the children who were killed as: Isabela Martinez, 10; Dacota Romero, seven; Dillan Romero, four; and Axel Romero, two. The fifth child, Diana Romero, nine, was in serious but stable condition at a hospital.

“We continue to pray for Diana’s recovery both physically and emotionally as she learns about what happened to her father and siblings,” the Gwinnett County Police Department said in a statement.

Officers from the Gwinnett County Police and Fire Departments responded to a call from the home placed by an adult female shortly before 5am on Thursday, authorities said. There, they found Ms Martinez, the five bodies and the surviving child.