A Tennessee mother accused of stabbing four of her children to death last week was moved to a mental health institute on Tuesday after appearing in court, authorities said.
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She faces charges of first-degree murder, child abuse and child neglect after she allegedly cut the throats of four children, who were all younger than 5, inside their Memphis apartment on Friday.
A judge waived Gardner’s arraignment during a Tuesday hearing at which she appeared by video.
Gardner is being held on four counts of first-degree murder associated with aggravated child abuse, four counts of first-degree murder in association with aggravated child neglect, plus four more counts each of aggravated child abuse and aggravated child neglect or endangerment.
Authorities have not said why they think Gardner killed her children while investigators have been looking into whether she has mental health problems.
Gardner’s seven-year-old son, Dallen, was able to make it out of the apartment and run to a neighbor for help. According to the wire, the state psychiatric hospital serves patients who have “a severe and persistent mental illness and are hospitalized on an emergency, involuntary basis”. In court today 29-year-old Shanythia Gardner did not respond to the judge’s questions.
Both he and prosecutor Jennifer Nichols plan to file a motion seeking to preserve evidence in the case, including information gathered from social media.
On March 19, 2015, WREG writes Gardner was reported missing days after telling her family someone was trying to harm her. Outside court, Morton declined to talk about the facts in the case.
“It’s too early to be making comments on a case of this nature”, Morton said.
Sheriff’s officials say Gardner cut her children’s throats Friday afternoon at her apartment in a gated community in unincorporated Shelby County.
“The record’s going to speak for itself”, Nicholas said.
Gardner is now being held in Jail East.
“She obviously was dealing with something and people just turned a blind eye”, she said.
King said he has known Gardner since high school.
Gardner’s friend, James Johnson, just wants peace for this family, including his high school friend.
Dallen Clayton, Shanynthia Gardner’s son from a previous relationship, managed to escape the apartment and tell a bystander that his mother was stabbing his sister, according to the report.
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“I would tell her that I love her and I’m praying for her in this situation”, said Johnson.
