Parents' damning texts about their children lead officials to grisly fire pit discovery: Court docs



A mother and father from Indiana have been charged with murdering two of their children.

Steven Valle, 31, and Samantha Sebella, 25 — both of Wheatfield — were arrested last week and charged with murder, neglect of a dependent causing death, abuse of a corpse, and failure to report a dead body.

'YOU KILLED OUR BABIES, I HAVE THEIR DNA IN MY BODY FOREVER.'

On Sept. 20, deputies with the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office began investigating the pair after a tipster informed authorities about a horrifying confession. The informant allegedly told police that Valle told friends he killed two of his children.

Detectives located Valle at a hotel in Newton County. He denied the allegations. However, police obtained a search warrant and seized the couple's cell phones, which allegedly contained damning evidence. Turns out there were text messages between the pair on the phones that appeared to indicate Valle murdered the two children, according to court documents.

“You killed my kids cause you are a fa****, you never loved me,” one message read, WXIN-TV reported.

“YOU KILLED OUR BABIES, I HAVE THEIR DNA IN MY BODY FOREVER,” another message between Sebella and Valle reportedly read.

According to WXIN, the police report "insinuated that Valle had smothered his first-born child and drowned his second-born."

A judge determined there was enough evidence to arrest Valle and Sebella on Friday, Law & Crime said. The couple was taken to the Jasper County Detention Center, where they remain without bond.

Both suspects allegedly denied ever having more than one child, telling investigators their child was born in their home without documentation. The Indiana Department of Child Services removed this child from the couple's custody.

Indeed, the Jasper County Health Department informed investigators there wasn’t any record of Sebella ever having given birth.

The pair reportedly also told investigators Sebella never had a miscarriage or a stillbirth.

But during a second police interview, Sebella allegedly admitted that she had given birth to a boy in 2018.

Valle claimed to police that he found Sebella passed out with an infant lying between her legs, according to court documents

Valle reportedly claimed the baby was not awake or breathing, so he cleaned up the infant, placed him in a blanket, and put him in a box. Valle claimed to have buried the child in the backyard three days after the birth because he “knew the child wouldn’t be coming back to life.”

According to court documents, Valle claimed to investigators Sebella got pregnant a second time, but the baby was prematurely born in a bathtub while he was at work. Valle allegedly buried the second baby in the backyard near the first deceased infant.

Police say Valle informed them that he dug up the corpses of his children three to five years after their deaths and burned them in a fire pit. He saved some of the ashes to make a necklace as a memento, according to court docs.

On Sept. 30, the sheriff’s office, Indiana State Police, Jasper County Coroner’s Office along with two cadaver dogs went to the Wheatfield property where Valle and Sebella had previously lived. The couple reportedly was evicted from the property earlier this year.

“With the cooperation of the landowner and the current residents, the search began, and the cadaver dogs alerted to three separate locations on the property. A preliminary search at these locations uncovered partial bone fragments,” deputies wrote, according to Law & Crime.

The outlet added that authorities took the bone fragments to a specialist in Indianapolis for testing to determine whether they were from an infant or animal, and the sheriff's office said the fragments were human.

Deputies said the couple did not inform authorities about the births, deaths, burials, or burnings of their children.

You can view a video report here about the case.

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Illinois father pleads guilty to murdering his 3 children, filicide suspect left ominous note to wife



An Illinois father accused of murdering his three children in 2022 pleaded guilty to his horrific crimes on Friday.

Jason Karels, 36, entered a plea of guilty but mentally ill to three counts of first-degree murder for the killing of his three children in 2022. Karels had previously entered a not-guilty plea for the murders.

Karels reportedly drowned his children – ages 2, 3, and 5.

Karels will be sentenced to life in prison, without the possibility of parole, the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office said.

The state’s attorney’s office said it had consulted extensively with the family of the victims before entering into the plea agreement with the filicide suspect.

"This case has devastated the Round Lake Beach community and beyond," Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said in a statement. "We hope that (Friday’s) resolution provides some measure of closure, and we will continue to provide support to the family."

The Round Lake Police Department issued a statement: "The Round Lake Beach Police Department would like to thank the numerous investigators from multiple jurisdictions who contributed countless hours to this investigation. We would also like to recognize Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart and his entire office, who assisted throughout the investigation and delivered a just outcome in this case."

"Our thoughts continue to be with the family and friends of the victims and the rest of our community affected by this senseless tragedy. While nothing can bring these wonderful children back, we hope this outcome will give the family and loved ones some closure," the police said.

Debra Karels, the estranged mother of the three children, discovered the bodies of the children inside their Round Lake Beach home on June 13, 2022.

The Lake County Coroner’s Office later determined the cause of death to be drowning in all of the children.

The mother of the three children was in the process of gaining full custody of the kids when their father murdered them.

Police officers found an ominous note at the crime scene that read: "If I can’t have them neither can you."

Officers arrested Karels near Joliet later that evening, following a 17-minute police chase by Illinois State Troopers. The hot pursuit ended when Karel crashed his vehicle. While being arrested, Karels allegedly told police officers his role in the triple murder.

An official sentencing hearing is scheduled for Feb. 16, 2024.

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'Pure evil': Kentucky mother accused of 'horrific' murder of her children – ages 6 and 9



A Kentucky mother is accused of the brutal murder of her two children – ages six and nine.

The Bullitt County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a shooting at a Shepherdsville residence just after 11 a.m. on Wednesday.

According to WLKY, "We're told a neighbor who felt something was off went into the house and found the children in a bedroom."

Inside Edition reported that a post-arrest complaint stated that the individual who called 911 informed police that "there were two victims in the bedroom who are covered in blood and a gun was on the bed."

Deputies arrived at the crime scene to find two wounded young children in critical condition. The children were rushed to Norton Children’s Hospital but were later pronounced dead from gunshot injuries.

Tiffanie Lucas, 32, was booked into Bullitt County Detention Center on Wednesday afternoon for the alleged filicide. Lucas was charged with two counts of murder, and her bail was set at $2 million. During her arraignment on Thursday morning, the court appointed a public attorney for Lucas for the filicide case.

An arrest affidavit stated that a witness identified Lucas as the shooter.

The names of the children have not been released by authorities.

Col. Alex Payne – the chief deputy with the Bullitt County Sheriff's Office – said during a Wednesday press conference that the father of one of the slain boys is deceased, and investigators have not yet been able to identify the father of the second child.

"Whether you think it's mental illness, just pure evil, a combination of both, it could be substance abuse, any combination thereof. Pick your poison. None of it's good. The result is horrific," Payne said.

Payne told WHAS-TV of the grisly discovery, "I'll give you the cliché answer first: a lot of people will say it's part of the job, but it's the part that you dread, the part that you hope that you go your entire career and never see."

The Facebook page for Lucas shows dozens of photos of the smiling mother enjoying happier times with her two sons. The most recent Facebook post features the mother and sons dressing up as "Star Wars" characters for Halloween.

Court records show Lucas previously spent a month in jail for a drug possession conviction. However, there was no previous violent criminal history.

Amanda Magnis – a neighbor of Lucas – told WLKY, "It makes me sick, just thinking of any kid getting hurt or possibly losing their life – it's just devastating."

Neighbors shocked after police arrest woman accused of fatally shooting her two children www.youtube.com

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Ohio father charged with murder of 3 young sons, who he reportedly 'hunted,' lined up, and executed in front of mother: 'Most sickening, horrifying crime I have seen'



An Ohio man is accused of fatally shooting his three young sons in a "horrifying" fashion, according to police.

Chad Doerman, 32, was charged with three counts of aggravated murder on Friday for the deaths of his young sons — ages 3, 4, and 7. Doerman's bond has been set at $20 million. He was being held in Clermont County Jail.

"This is by far the most sickening, horrifying crime I have seen. I can only imagine the terror these little boys felt and experienced as their father – their protector – was murdering them," Clermont County Prosecutor Mark Tekulve said, according to WKRC-TV.

Deputies responded to the home in rural Monroe Township, about 25 miles southeast of Cincinnati, around 4:15 p.m. on Thursday after receiving 911 calls about a shooting. Clermont County Sheriff's Office said in a press release that an unidentified woman frantically told the police dispatcher that "her babies had been shot." Three minutes later, another reported call from a passing motorist said a girl was running down the street screaming that her "father was killing everyone."

Deputies found the three young boys unresponsive outside the home with gunshot wounds. First responders attempted life-saving measures, but the boys were pronounced dead at the crime scene.

David Gast, chief prosecutor in Clermont County, said one of the boys tried to flee to a nearby field, but Doerman "hunted that boy down, brought him back to the property, and executed him in front of witnesses."

Gast said during the hearing, "In an act of incomprehensible cruelty the father that stands before you lined up his three young boys and executed them in his own home with a rifle. In an act of desperation the mother at some point grabbed the gun the father was wielding to attempt to protect them."

The 34-year-old mother, who was not identified, was found outside the home. The woman suffered a gunshot wound to the hand. She was transported to a hospital and did not appear to have life-threatening injuries, according to authorities.

Gast said, "The trauma that this man has inflicted on his family, community, law enforcement, first responders, and all the rest of us is unspeakable."

Doerman was reportedly found sitting on a stoop at the home. He was taken into custody without incident.

"They held these children knowing there was nothing they could do," Gast added. "How do you unsee that sort of abomination?"

"One of the most monstrous, craven, cowardly acts that will ever be our misfortune of seeing," Gast said.

"There has been a full admission in this case, the case is still new we're still discovering facts," Gast said, according to WLWT. "But the evil horror of what we know is impossible to process."

Gast claimed that Doerman had planned out the triple filicide.

Tekulve said the mother witnessed the murder of her three sons.

"The mother saw this, you can imagine the immense trauma and terror she experienced, and we will do the utmost that this defendant never sees the light of day again," Tekulve said.

Sheriff: Father of three children killed in Clermont County shooting arrested, charged with murder www.youtube.com

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Texas mother arrested for allegedly stabbing her 5 children during CPS visit, killing 3 of her kids



A Texas mother was arrested for allegedly stabbing her five children – killing three of her own kids. The reported murders allegedly occurred during a visit from a Child Protective Service worker.

On Friday afternoon, a Texas Department of Child Protective Service worker arrived unannounced at the home of 25-year-old Shamaiya Hall in Italy, Texas. The CPS employee made the surprise visit to the home because there was reportedly suspicion that Hall was taking care of the children. CPS previously ordered the children to be under the guardianship of one of Hall's relatives, according to WFAA.

Hall allegedly stabbed all five of her children. The CPS worker – who was on the street outside the home during the alleged crime – immediately contacted 911 for help, according to the Ellis County Sheriff's Office.

Three elementary school-aged children were reportedly found stabbed to death inside the home. Two other of Hall's kids were transported by a local hospital to treat their stab wounds. The condition of the surviving children is not known. All five of the children were siblings.

CPS issued a statement on the reported filicide, "We are shocked by this incomprehensible tragedy, and already working with law enforcement to investigate how this happened, and why."

Ellis County Judge Todd Little said in a statement, "Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and citizens of Italy."

The Italy Independent School District said, "Italy ISD is deeply saddened by the tragedy that occurred off-campus this evening. Words cannot express the overwhelming grief felt by the district and the community hearing of such a tragedy. We are a tight-knit, small community and as such many students will be impacted by this incident."

The school district said it would provide counselors to students or members of the community following the shocking deaths.

The investigation into the deadly stabbings is ongoing. The Italy Independent School District is cooperating with the police investigation.

Hall was arrested and charged with three counts of capital murder on Friday. Hall remained in the Ellis County Jail.

Arrest records obtained by WFAA show that Hall was arrested in October 2017 for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after allegedly stabbing her sister's boyfriend in 2017.

The outlet also reported that Hall's twin sister, Troyshaye Mone Hall, was arrested in June 2021 for allegedly stabbing her 7-year-old daughter to death.

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