Wendy Tolbert, Logan Square, Chicago mom attacks her 3 kids with a butcher knife, killing 4 year old son, Jordan Wallace, then sets home on fire. Mother claims her kids were possessed by the devil.
A Chicago woman has claimed her children were ‘possessed by the devil’ after allegedly stabbing her three children, killing one of them, and then starting a house fire on Friday.
Wendy Tolbert, 45, of Logan Square, appeared in court on Sunday where she faced 14 felonies, including first-degree murder, attempted murder and arson.
Her public defender said during the hearing that Tolbert has been battling mental health issues as well as cancer. The judge called her actions pure evil and ordered Tolbert to be held in custody pending her trial.
Logan Square mom says kids were possessed by the devil
Police said Tolbert circa 9 a.m, Friday, on July 4th, armed with a butcher knife, stabbed her three children, killing her four-year-old son, along with critically injuring her two other children before setting the family home ablaze in Chicago’s Northwest Side, FOX32 reported.
The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the deceased 4 year old as Jordan Wallace. The surviving children, a 10-year-old boy and a 13-year old girl continued to remain in hospital in critical condition.
Prosecutors said the little boy was stabbed 36 times.
Prosecutors said her eldest child called 911. Police officers arrived on the scene, heard the children’s screams and broke into the house, rescuing them.
Tolbert was arrested shortly after. Prosecutors said police found her holding a knife, with her clothes covered in blood.
The 45-year-old woman is said to have admitted to the stabbing, saying her children were possessed by the devil, according to investigators.
Chicago mom ordered to undergo mental health evaluation
The episode led to two neighbors and three first responders being taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation.
The incident left those who knew Tolbert shocked.
‘I’ve been knowing Wendy Tolbert her whole life,’ family friend Antony Dobbs told ABC7Chicago. ‘I’ve never known her to harm anybody, or do anything. She loved her kids to death.’
The judge called Tolbert a clear and present danger to others before ordering her detained pending her trial. She also approved a health care order for Tolbert, who will undergo an evaluation of both her mental and physical health.
Tolbert’s next court date is set for Monday.
The whereabouts of the childrens’ father was not immediately known.
