Mother Claims 'Voodoo Ritual' Led To Fatal Stabbing Of Children

A Massachusetts mother of five admitted to fatally stabbing her children, calling the act a "voodoo" ritual, authorities said.

Latarsha L. Sanders, 43, was arrested and held without bail after she killed her sons Edson "Marlon" Brito, 8, and Lason Brito, 5, with a knife, the Boston Herald reported Tuesday. Sanders blamed the incident on "voodoo stuff." Police found Lanson in Saunders apartment under a blanket with lacerations to his face and neck, police said.

Sanders said she first attacked her youngest son, then stabbed his younger brother when she thought she had "failed" on the first try. Police discovered the children on the floor of their Brockton apartment after the mother told a neighbor to request an ambulance. The older boy had 50 stab wounds, Fox News reported.

"She said she had stabbed him because she had ‘failed’ in the ritual with Marlon (Edson)," Assistant Plymouth District Attorney Jessica Kenny said during a court hearing, according to the Boston Herald. "She responded to police that she felt bad about what she had done. She told police she mopped up the blood on the floor. She indicated she used a kitchen knife to stab both of them and left it in the sink. She also indicated she cleaned up both of the children and placed them in separate beds."

Plymouth District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz called an interview between the mother and police "disjointed" and said that Saunders had a history of mental illness.

"We don't have a lot of clarity to a lot of the things she was saying at this point," Cruz said.

Sanders remained in jail, with her next court dated scheduled for April 9.