Chilling confession of 13-year-old girl accused of murdering mother and stabbing a boy after phone was taken away
The teenage suspect told reporters she felt ‘regret, guilt and self-disgust’ as she was being taken into custody
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Louise Thomas
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A 13-year-old girl claimed she killed her mother in a chilling confession to Pennsylvania authorities after they found a female victim with wounds to her head and torso.
Lataya Powell was taken into custody on Friday after police responded to a scene where they found an unresponsive 44-year-old victim with multiple apparent stab wounds and an 11-year-old boy, also with apparent stab wounds in the back.
“I killed my mom, and she’ll never forgive me if she is alive,” Ms Powell, who was identified by local outlets, reportedly told police, according to documents obtained by WYOU.
While being taken into custody and put in the back of a police vehicle, the 13-year-old told the outlet that she felt “regret, guilt and self-disgust.”
The authorities also found an 11-year-old boy with stab wounds to the back, but they appeared to be non-life threatening, according to the outlet.
![Ms Powell allegedly confessed to police: ’I killed my mom, and she’ll never forgive me if she is alive‘](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/04/02/10/Screenshot%202024-04-02%20095914.png)
The Wilkes-Barre City Police Department said in a statement that the second victim was transported to the hospital for treatment.
Ms Powell is being charged as an adult, with criminal homicide, aggravated assault, and other related charges.
The police responded to the location at around 12.30pm after reports of an unresponsive woman.
The woman was suffering from wounds on her torso and head area, police said, with WYOU reporting that there was heavy blood flow coming from her head.
![Police found an unresponsive 44-year-old woman with torso and head injuries](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/04/02/10/Screenshot%202024-04-02%20100008.png)
The coroner’s office responded to the scene and pronounced the victim deceased. An autopsy will be carried out.
Police said that the 13-year-old stabbed her mother during an argument, and threw the weapon on the neighbour’s doorstep, the local outlet reported.
While in custody, Ms Powell reportedly made other comments, according to the outlet, such as “I don’t have my phone because my mom took it before our fight”, “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 authorities noted in the affidavit obtained by WYOU that no knives or cutting instruments were in plain view, but noticed that the kitchen drawers and cabinets had locks on them.
The outlet reported that one of the locks appeared to have broken, and a padlock was lying on the ground.
The Independent has contacted the Wilkes-Barre City Police Department for further information.
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