Return to Transcripts main page

American Morning

Texas Woman Charged With Beating Two of Sons to Death

Aired May 12, 2003 - 07:32   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: We want to get to a disturbing story this morning in the state of Texas. And we warn you beforehand. There's a Texas woman charged with beating two of her sons to death and critically injuring a third, in jail today under a suicide watch. Police say 38-year-old Deanna LaJune Laney called 911 early Saturday morning and said, "I've just killed my boys."
Laney's sons, ages eight and six, were found dead in the yard; her 14 month old boy bleeding in his crib with a pillow over his face.

Sheriff J.B. Smith of the Smith County Sheriff's Department, is with us live today in Tyler, Texas.

Sheriff, thanks for your time this morning.

SHERIFF J.B. SMITH, SMITH COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT: Good morning, Bill.

HEMMER: What happened this weekend at that home?

SMITH: Well, Bill, the 911 call itself was a very calm, matter of fact call on a cell phone. When it came in, it was, she just simply said those simple words, that I've killed my boys, and stayed on the cell phone with us as the, when the deputies arrived. She continued to stay on the phone. But she wasn't in the house.

When we walked into the house we found the 14 month old baby, the first victim that we found, and it was still breathing.

At that time the husband come walking out in his night clothes. He was obviously asleep throughout the entire thing.

We continued to talk to her on her cell phone and found her approximately 100 yards behind the house in the woods behind a small pond. She was very calm and no trauma, no hysteria at any point. She described where the boys were, but she would not go to that location.

When we found the two children, eight and six years old, they had been severely beaten in the head with what appeared to be a rock. The rock, after she killed the children, was laid on the chest and right underneath the chin.

She continued to talk to us, but, of course, did not want to go to the scene where the boys were.

HEMMER: So we know two of her boys are dead. How is Aaron, the 14 month old? SMITH: He is in critical condition. His father is with him at the present time. We have not interviewed the father as of yet, but it appears he -- there was no indication whatsoever that this was going to happen. It was a very stable, loving family. There's no history of mental illness. The church that they attended was a good, stable church with about 400 families that attended. She sang in the choir.

But she also said that god told her to kill the babies.

HEMMER: Why, that's what she said.

SMITH: Yes.

HEMMER: How is she doing now? What is, how is she being attended to in prison? Has she been given medication? Her behavior is listed now as what, sir?

SMITH: Well, she has not been given medication yet. An attorney has been appointed to her. Her emotions are wide and varied. She goes from a fetal position of crying to walking around the cell singing gospel music. She stops and prays then she goes into a crying hysteria. She has all of a sudden realizes what she's done then she'll go into a flat line blank stare.

So just a wide variety of emotions.

HEMMER: Sheriff, I don't want to get promote on this, but a lot of people when they think about cases like these think about the state of Texas and Andrea Yates. Are there parallels at this point?

SMITH: Well, the only thing that we find in common between the two is the fact that god told them both to do it. The Yates case was entirely different and there was a lot of mental illness. There was -- as a matter of fact, everyone knew she was mentally ill. But not this lady. She has no history whatsoever that we know of at this time.

HEMMER: Wow.

SMITH: And it'll take us weeks to get this all unraveled. But it'll all come about. But there's no reasoning for this. You know, when you ask why this happened, we just, we can't explain it. I don't think anyone can.

HEMMER: Yes, finally, sir, if you could, I know you mentioned the husband's been staying with the 14 month old baby, Aaron. How is he doing, the husband?

SMITH: The baby is still -- the husband is still in shock and -- but we hope to be able to talk to him today.

HEMMER: Thank you, Sheriff.

Best of luck with this.

In Tyler, Texas, Sheriff J.B. Smith with us talking about a very disturbing story from over the weekend.

Thank you, sir.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired May 12, 2003 - 07:32   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: We want to get to a disturbing story this morning in the state of Texas. And we warn you beforehand. There's a Texas woman charged with beating two of her sons to death and critically injuring a third, in jail today under a suicide watch. Police say 38-year-old Deanna LaJune Laney called 911 early Saturday morning and said, "I've just killed my boys."
Laney's sons, ages eight and six, were found dead in the yard; her 14 month old boy bleeding in his crib with a pillow over his face.

Sheriff J.B. Smith of the Smith County Sheriff's Department, is with us live today in Tyler, Texas.

Sheriff, thanks for your time this morning.

SHERIFF J.B. SMITH, SMITH COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT: Good morning, Bill.

HEMMER: What happened this weekend at that home?

SMITH: Well, Bill, the 911 call itself was a very calm, matter of fact call on a cell phone. When it came in, it was, she just simply said those simple words, that I've killed my boys, and stayed on the cell phone with us as the, when the deputies arrived. She continued to stay on the phone. But she wasn't in the house.

When we walked into the house we found the 14 month old baby, the first victim that we found, and it was still breathing.

At that time the husband come walking out in his night clothes. He was obviously asleep throughout the entire thing.

We continued to talk to her on her cell phone and found her approximately 100 yards behind the house in the woods behind a small pond. She was very calm and no trauma, no hysteria at any point. She described where the boys were, but she would not go to that location.

When we found the two children, eight and six years old, they had been severely beaten in the head with what appeared to be a rock. The rock, after she killed the children, was laid on the chest and right underneath the chin.

She continued to talk to us, but, of course, did not want to go to the scene where the boys were.

HEMMER: So we know two of her boys are dead. How is Aaron, the 14 month old? SMITH: He is in critical condition. His father is with him at the present time. We have not interviewed the father as of yet, but it appears he -- there was no indication whatsoever that this was going to happen. It was a very stable, loving family. There's no history of mental illness. The church that they attended was a good, stable church with about 400 families that attended. She sang in the choir.

But she also said that god told her to kill the babies.

HEMMER: Why, that's what she said.

SMITH: Yes.

HEMMER: How is she doing now? What is, how is she being attended to in prison? Has she been given medication? Her behavior is listed now as what, sir?

SMITH: Well, she has not been given medication yet. An attorney has been appointed to her. Her emotions are wide and varied. She goes from a fetal position of crying to walking around the cell singing gospel music. She stops and prays then she goes into a crying hysteria. She has all of a sudden realizes what she's done then she'll go into a flat line blank stare.

So just a wide variety of emotions.

HEMMER: Sheriff, I don't want to get promote on this, but a lot of people when they think about cases like these think about the state of Texas and Andrea Yates. Are there parallels at this point?

SMITH: Well, the only thing that we find in common between the two is the fact that god told them both to do it. The Yates case was entirely different and there was a lot of mental illness. There was -- as a matter of fact, everyone knew she was mentally ill. But not this lady. She has no history whatsoever that we know of at this time.

HEMMER: Wow.

SMITH: And it'll take us weeks to get this all unraveled. But it'll all come about. But there's no reasoning for this. You know, when you ask why this happened, we just, we can't explain it. I don't think anyone can.

HEMMER: Yes, finally, sir, if you could, I know you mentioned the husband's been staying with the 14 month old baby, Aaron. How is he doing, the husband?

SMITH: The baby is still -- the husband is still in shock and -- but we hope to be able to talk to him today.

HEMMER: Thank you, Sheriff.

Best of luck with this.

In Tyler, Texas, Sheriff J.B. Smith with us talking about a very disturbing story from over the weekend.

Thank you, sir.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com