As previously reported, a 45-year-old Chicago woman, now identified as Wendy Tolbert, allegedly stabbed her three children, killing a 4-year-old, and then set her house on fire. Prosecutors allege that Tolbert stabbed her children because they were “possessed by the devil.”
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According to NBC5, the incident occurred at around 9 a.m. on Friday, July 4. In court, prosecutors revealed disturbing details surrounding the alleged stabbing.
Reportedly, Tolbert was home with her three children when she approached her 10-year-old son. The boy was playing video games with her 4-year-old boy sleeping next to him.
Suddently, Tolbert, armed with a kitchen knife, allegedly started to stab her 10-year-old son repeatedly. Then, prosecutors allege Tolbert began stabbing her 4-year-old boy, accusing her of stabbing the child more than three dozen times.
Tolbert’s eldest daughter, 13, then called police, saying that her mother was trying to kill her. Her mother allegedly pounded on her bedroom door, and as she tried to escape, she was stabbed in the face, back, and chest.
After allegedly stabbing her children, Wendy Tolbert set her house on fire and exited the residence.
Child Dead, Mother Allegedly Admits To Crime
Responding officers then found the 10-year-old yelling for help from inside the house located in Logan Square.
After rescuing the children, the 4-year-old, identified as Jordan Wallace, succumbed to his injuries. The 13-year-old remains hospitalized in critical condition, where she was intubated and has undergone multiple surgeries. The 10-year-old was discharged from the hospital.
Additionally, a 31-year-old woman and a 34-year-old man, who lived in an adjacent residence, were transported to a local hospital for smoke inhalation.
During an interview, Wendy Tolbert allegedly told police that she had stabbed her children because she believed they were “possessed by the devil.”
On Sunday, July 6, Tolber was charged with one count of first-degree murder, two counts of attempted murder, six counts of felony aggravated arson, and multiple counts of aggravated battery.
After details of the case were made public, many were shocked by Tolbert’s alleged crimes. Among them is Anthony Dobbs, a family friend. Saying that he knew Tolbert for her entire life, he believed he wouldn’t harm anybody and that she “loved her kids to death.
“It’s just shocking,” Dobbs told ABC7. “So heartbreaking to hear the judge and everybody say what she did. It’s really messed up. I couldn’t believe it.”