A 13-year-old girl in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, who was charged with murdering her mother, expressed regret shortly after the fatal stabbing.
While being taken into police custody, the teen, Lataya Powell, told local outlet WYOU that she felt “regret, guilt and self-disgust.”
Authorities responded to the scene of Powell’s mother’s murder “for an unresponsive female” on Friday afternoon around 12:30 p.m. local time, according to a press release from the Wilkes-Barre City Police Department.
Upon arrival, the scene was secured and an “extensive investigation” was launched, initially determining that the victim, 44, had suffered wounds to the torso and “head area,” per police.
The coroner’s office pronounced her dead at the scene, and an autopsy is currently pending, officials said.
Along with Powell, a second victim, an 11-year-old boy, was located at the scene. They were promptly transported to a nearby hospital after they suffered stab wounds in his back, though the injuries seemed to be non-life threatening, WYOU reported.
According to an affidavit obtained by the outlet, officers found no knives or other cutting instruments in plain sight at the scene, but noticed that the drawers and cabinets in the kitchen were all padlocked except one, which appeared to have been broken.
After police took Powell into custody, she allegedly told officers that she threw the weapon she used onto a neighbor’s doorstep, WYOU reported.
She also reportedly told police that she was sorry for killing her mother, and stabbed her while the pair was arguing, the outlet said.
According to a criminal complaint obtained by WYOU, Powell allegedly also made various comments while in custody, including, “I killed my mom and she’ll never forgive me if she is alive.”
Powell also allegedly said “I’m the reason my mom is dead” and “I don’t know how people can do stuff like this and not feel bad about it,” the outlet reported.
She also reportedly told officers, per WYOU, “I don’t have my phone because my mom took it before our fight.”
Powell was arrested and charged with criminal homicide, aggravated assault, and “other related charges,” Wilkes-Barre police said.
She was charged as an adult and arraigned and is currently pending further court action. It is not immediately clear if she has legal representation to comment on her behalf.
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Author: thedailycrime1
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