A 33-year-old mother from Kentucky pleaded guilty to murdering her two young sons after initially claiming she was “legally insane” when she shot them both in the head inside their home late last year.
Tiffanie Lucas had been facing a trial in December for the deaths of Maurice “Peanut” Baker Jr., 6, and Jayden Howard, 9, who were both biracial. Lucas was indicted for shooting both children in a bedroom of their Shepherdsville home on Bentwood Drive on Nov. 8, 2023.
Her court appearance on Oct. 23 followed a delay in her change of plea hearing that had been scheduled for last week, reports said.
Back in September, Lucas’s defense team announced that their trial strategy would be to argue an insanity defense, claiming the defendant snapped at the time of the shootings.
Previously, Lucas was accused of firing four shots within 30 seconds before claiming the shooting was accidental. She also stated that she was manipulated into her actions through Facebook and the internet.
On the morning of the killings, neighbors discovered Lucas lying in their driveway, crying that her “kids were dying.”
The man of the house went next door, where he found the brothers covered in their own blood with the murder weapon lying next to them. The man hurried back and dialed 911.
The victims were later pronounced dead at Norton Children’s Hospital in Louisville.
During the preliminary hearing, the detective who questioned Lucas about the crimes testified that Lucas stated she had put herself “in such a bad spot” while admitting that she felt “so stupid” and claimed she wouldn’t have committed the acts without manipulation from someone else.
However, she made no excuses during her guilty plea in a Bullitt County courtroom on Wednesday.
Lucas appeared before Judge Rodney Burress in an orange jumpsuit and placed the blame solely on herself. After being sworn in, Lucas submitted an “open plea,” indicating that she had agreed to confess to two murders without a plea deal or sentencing recommendation from the Bullitt County Commonwealth Attorney’s Office.
Under questioning by Burress, Lucas confirmed the scene of the murders as her home address. She also shared her birthday, noting that she turned 33 on Oct. 2, and mentioned that she had finished high school.
“Do you suffer now or have you ever suffered from any mental illness or defect which would affect your ability to think and reason?” the judge probed. “No, sir,” Lucas answered before indicating her judgment was not impaired and that she was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
The judge said that that by pleading guilty Lucas was waiving her right to a jury trial and her right to appeal. Burress also explained that Lucas would face a sentence of 20 to 50 years or life in prison for each murder count. He will have the discretion to decide whether the sentences will be served consecutively or concurrently.
Lucas acknowledged her understanding and then admitted that she was pleading guilty. Judge Burress scheduled sentencing for Nov. 22.
Previous reports described Lucas as a single mother raising two boys on her own; Police officials confirmed that one boy’s father was deceased, while the other boy’s father was not present in his life.
