A Pennsylvania woman and her daughter are charged with murdering 5 members of their family, including three children. Shana Decree, 45, and her daughter Dominique Decree, 19, are accused of killing 5 relatives on Monday.
Mother and daughter are charged with 5 counts of homicide and one count each of conspiracy after police found five bodies in an apartment in the Philadelphia suburb of Morrisville.
Dominique told police that “everyone at the apartment wanted to die” by committing suicide. The teenager said she didn’t know how they died.
The deceased are identified as Shana’s two children Naa’ilrah Smith, 25, Damon Decree Jr., 13, their aunt Jamilla Campbell, 42, and Jamilla’s twin daughters Imani and Erika Allen, aged 9.
Dominique told police that her aunt Jamilla killed one of her own twin daughters before killing herself.
Police did not say how the five people died.
Neighbors were shocked at the news of a massacre so close to home. According to NBC, neighbors had grown concerned when they didn’t see any of the family members outside in three days.
A friend of one of the victims said she knocked on the door several times but there was no answer.
She told NBC she spoked with the landlord and asked what was going on. She said the landlord told her, “We are going to do a welfare check to see if they are alright because trash is piled up out there for awhile.”
A maintenance worker entered the apartment and found Shana and Dominique inside the apartment in a “disoriented” state, according to court documents. The landlord called the police, who arrived at the scene around 4 p.m.
The apartment was described as “in disarray” with broken drywall, broken glass, overturned furniture, and other signs of a disturbance.
Shana’s son, Damon, was found facedown on his bed with one of his feet jammed through the drywall into an adjacent bedroom.
Both suspects were transported to a hospital for unspecified medical treatment.
Witnesses say Dominique had injuries to her neck. After police informed her that she and her mom were suspects, she pointed the finger of blame at her aunt’s boyfriend and two other men.
But police believe they have their suspects.
“The people who committed these atrocious acts are now in custody and will be made to pay for their crimes,” said Bucks Count’s District Attorney Matthew Weintraub at a press conference.
Campbell’s 17-year-old son, Joshua, was located in Willingboro, New Jersey, where he was staying with friends. He was informed of his family’s tragic fate.
Police say they conducted a search for Joshua to “ensure his safety.”
