Woman charged in slayings of 4 children, father due in court

By JONATHAN LANDRUM Jr. and KATHLEEN FOODY
Associated Press

ATLANTA (AP) – A woman charged with killing four of her young children and their father is due in court, one day after police say she stabbed the five to death and seriously injured another child at a home outside Atlanta.

Authorities in Georgia charged 33-year-old Isabel Martinez on Thursday afternoon with five counts of malice murder, five counts of murder and six counts of aggravated assault, hours after police said she called 911 to report the killings from the home the family shared. She faces a hearing Friday.

Police said a fifth child, a girl, survived but remained hospitalized with injuries described as serious.

Psychologists and others who study cases of mothers accused of killing their children say it’s not as uncommon as people might believe.

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Booking video of mother accused of stabbing husband, children to death at Loganville home pic.twitter.com/EATtdXOD7e

— CBS46 (@cbs46) July 7, 2017