A 13-year-old Pennsylvania girl allegedly confessed to killing her mother and stabbing her 11-year-old brother during an argument, telling officers, “I’m the reason my mom is dead.”
Lataya Powell allegedly admitted to the rampage when officers responded about 12:30 p.m. Friday to a home on South Sherman Street in Wilkes-Barre, Local 21 reported.
“I killed my mom and she’ll never forgive me if she is alive,” she said, according to the criminal complaint.
Her mother, later identified as Tameeka Tucker, suffered apparent wounds to the torso and head area, police said.
Meanwhile, her 11-year-old brother was found lying on a couch in the living room with stab wounds to his back, according to the news outlet. His injuries were not considered life-threatening.
Powell was taken into custody at the scene and charged as an adult with homicide, two counts of aggravated assault and tampering with evidence, Local 21 reported.
Police found no knives or cutting instruments when they arrived, but noticed kitchen drawers and cabinets with padlocks, according to WBRE.
One appeared to have been broken and a padlock was lying on the floor, the outlet reported, citing an arrest affidavit.
When Powell was confronted by cops, she told them she threw the weapon on a neighbor’s doorstep, WBRE reported.
“I’m the reason my mom is dead,” she told police, according to the affidavit cited by the outlet.’
“I don’t know how people can do stuff like this and not feel bad about it,” she also reportedly said.
Footage posted by the news outlet shows the girl telling a reporter that she felt “regret, guilt and self-disgust” before she was placed in a patrol car.
A neighbor who found the knife on her front porch said she was working in her backyard at the time of the grisly crime.
“I’m just thankful I wasn’t out here because you never know what could’ve happened, but I look at it that something good could come out of this and that she can get the help she needs,” said the unidentified woman, Local 21 News reported.
“My prayers go out to the family and I’m sorry this happened,” the neighbor added.
The accused killer is being held at the Luzerne County Jail, where she awaits her preliminary hearing on April 10.
