Palm Bay Child Murder Suspect Waives First Court Hearing
By Space Coast Daily // March 23, 2015
mother charged with her children's murder
Arraignment Set For April 21
BREVARD COUNTY • SHARPES, FLORIDA – Jessica Lacey McCarty, 33, of Palm Bay on Sunday waived her right to attend a first court hearing to face charges of murdering two of her children, and attempting to murder her 5-month-old son.
McCarty was represented by a public defender and the judge set an arraignment for April 21.
Police identified the dead children as Laci McCarty, 7, Philip McCarty, 6, and the critically injured 5-month-old as Christopher Swist, who remains in critical condition at Florida Hospital.
Autopsies were conducted Sunday by the Brevard County medical examiner to determine how they died.
McCarty was ordered held without bond and remains under medical watch at the Brevard County Jail, according to authorities.
NO STATEMENT YET ON HOW CHILDREN WERE KILLED
Police have not said how they believe the children were killed except to say they were not stabbed, sliced or shot. According to authorities, the Department of Children and Families had encountered McCarty in the past.
ABOVE VIDEO: Yvonne Martinez, Palm Bay Public Information Coordinator, talks with SpaceCoastDaily.com’s Zach Clark about Friday evening’s multiple stabbing homicide in which an 7-year-old girl and her 6-year old brother was killed, and a 5-month old male siblings was critically injured.
Palm Bay Police Responds To 9-1-1 Calls Friday
At 5:57 p.m. Friday, emergency dispatchers received a 9-1-1 call from a woman claiming to have killed her three children in a home on Kenmore Street NW in Palm Bay.
When police officers arrived at the home, McCarty was in the front yard armed with a knife. She did not comply with repeated commands from officers to drop the knife, which led the officers to deploy several “less lethal” bean bag rounds to gain compliance, according to police.
Seconds later, emergency dispatchers received another 9-1-1 call from a man claiming to be the woman’s boyfriend and the father of one of the children. The caller reported his child was not breathing.
When police officers arrived at the home, McCarty was in the front yard armed with a knife. She did not comply with repeated commands from officers to drop the knife, which led the officers to deploy several “less lethal” bean bag rounds to gain compliance, according to police.
McCarty was then taken into custody.
The officers then located the three unresponsive children who were later transported to the hospital.
ABOVE VIDEO: Neighbors talk with SpaceCoastDaily.com’s Zach Clark about Friday evening’s multiple stabbing homicide in which an 7-year-old girl and her 6-year old brother was killed, and a 5-month old male siblings was critically injured.
ABOVE MAP: At about 6 p.m. Friday, emergency dispatchers received a 9-1-1 call from a woman claiming to have killed her children in a home on Kenmore Street NW in Palm Bay.
