An accused murderer appeared in a Kentucky courtroom Tuesday, claiming she is innocent. Tiffanie Lucas, 32, is accused of shooting her young sons, 6-year-old Maurice Baker Jr. and 9-year-old Jayden Howard, in their home last week. Detectives who spoke to Lucas at the scene of the shooting allege the mother of three said the shooting was not her fault and that she was "manipulated" into killing her sons.
Lucas did not speak during the hearing and reportedly showed no emotion in the courtroom. The day after the shooting, she entered a not guilty plea and the court remanded her to Bullitt County Detention Center.
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Lucas reportedly fired multiple shots.
Bullitt County Detective Richard Beahl testified that Lucas fired four shots, hitting both Maurice and Jayden in the head, per the Daily Mail. According to WDRB, during a three-hour interview with Beahl, Lucas claimed the shooting was an accident and that the gun was provided to her by another person.
Lucas reportedly said she was 'so stupid.'
Beahl said Lucas made strange comments about the alleged shooting and claimed she wasn't responsible for her actions and said things like, "I'm so stupid," and "I'm in such a bad spot," and "I would never do anything like this unless someone manipulated me."
The mom allegedly claimed that someone was manipulating her through the internet. Beahl said she "made statements that she was being manipulated through Facebook, through the internet or through Wi-Fi — through Facebook and through her Wi-Fi — being manipulated into doing what she did," WDRB reported.
The boys' older brother claims he tried to get them to help in the past.
In an interview with WLKY, Durrell Howard, who shares a father with Jayden Howard, said he and his family just wanted the boys to be loved and safe. The Howard boys' father died in 2019.
"We wanted them. We would have taken them with open arms. We loved them so much," the big brother told the news outlet.
Durrell Howard said life was good in the weeks leading up to the shooting, but that wasn't always the case and that the family had called child protective services in the past.
"I should have did more. If it came to me snatching the boys out of the house, I should have and I will hold that on my back for the rest of my life. For both them boys," he lamented to WLKY.
Lucas painted a picture on social media of a happy family.
She filled her Facebook page with photos and videos of Maurice and Jayden, whom she called Peanut. The trio dressed up in a Star Wars theme for Halloween and were all smiles as they enjoyed the festivities.
In May, Lucas posted a photo of herself with her sons captioned, "My lifeline, my heartbeat, my everything! MY KINGS."
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Lucas could be subject to the death penalty if she's found guilty.
The 32-year-old mother is in the Bullitt County Correction Center on a $2 million bond and faces murder charges. According to Kentucky law, she could be sentenced to 20 years to life in prison or a maximum penalty of death.
