MOUNT HOPE, Bronx (WABC) — Police say a 22-year-old Bronx mother accused of killing her two children at a family shelter has made unusual claims about the devil since her arrest, and detectives are investigating whether a domestic dispute with the younger boy’s father set off a chain of events that led to their death.
The boys, ages 3 years and 11 months, were found with multiple stab wounds submerged in water in a bathtub with their clothes on, police said.
Their mother, Dimona Fleming, was charged Monday with two counts of murder, attempted murder and lewd indifference.
Neighbors who live down the hall say they heard the couple arguing and yelling Friday night.
The father of the 11-month-old boy was allegedly sleeping in a car outside the apartment after the argument because Fleming ordered security not to let him back into the building, according to police.
Officers first responded to a 911 call to a third-floor apartment at Echo Place, where they said they found Fleming, naked, acting erratically while trying to burn things in the kitchen.
Frances Pimemtel crossed paths with her mother on the street before the call and says Fleming repeatedly said “what did I do.”
Officers were told the woman’s two children were with their father, so they took Fleming to the hospital to be evaluated.
The father heard what had happened and rushed to the apartment, where he allegedly found the children in the bathtub under a pile of laundry.
Neighbors heard the father’s screams for help and called 911 again.
“He was screaming hysterically,” neighbor Shannon Holyfield said. “He shouted, ‘Help me!’ And I went and opened the door and I see him walking down the corridor with two boys in his arms. They were dead, they were dead. There was blood everywhere.”
Officers and another family member tried to resuscitate the boys, who were rushed to Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, where they were pronounced dead.
Detectives believe Fleming stabbed her children in the neck and torso, although an autopsy will determine whether they died from those wounds or drowning.
NYPD reports stabbing death:
“It’s something they’re going to have to live with and think about for maybe the rest of their lives,” said New York City Police Deputy Chief Louis DeCegli. “We have very experienced police officers. I consider them the best. They know how to deal with any situation.”
Fleming’s father said he spoke to his daughter hours before the murder.
“I never saw any signs, she never gave me any indication that she was going to harm herself or her children,” Duane Fleming said.
He and others believe more could have been done.
“When my daughter was struggling with mental health, why did these social workers in institutions not seem to recognize any of this,” Fleming said.
A memorial was erected near the shelter in memory of the two young victims. Neighbors lit candles, left flowers and hung balloons.
Friends and relatives gather around the father. He said he wasn’t ready to talk, but he wanted the truth out.
Fleming remains hospitalized under psychiatric evaluation.
READ ALSO | A 16-year-old boy was stabbed in a Staten Island mall
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