Police taped off the 20 block of South Sherman Street in Wilkes-Barre on Friday afternoon.
WBRE/WYOU
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Police taped off the 20 block of South Sherman Street in Wilkes-Barre on Friday afternoon.
WBRE/WYOU
Police taped off the 20 block of South Sherman Street in Wilkes-Barre on Friday afternoon.
WBRE/WYOU
WILKES-BARRE — A 13-year-old girl asked “Did I really kill my mom?” as she waited to be transported by police after a stabbing left a 44-year-old woman dead and an 11-year-old boy injured, according to police.
Lataya Powell faces several adult charges, including criminal homicide, after police say she fatally stabbed her mother and attacked the boy Friday.
According to a criminal complaint:
Police responded to a report of an unresponsive female on the 20 block of South Sherman Street around 12:30 p.m.
When officers arrived, they found Tameeka S. Tucker with multiple stab wounds to the back and chest areas with blood flow coming from the rear of her head. Tucker was later pronounced dead by the Luzerne County coroner.
A trail of blood lead to a bedroom where Lataya Powell was found sitting on the floor. No knives or cutting instruments were in plain view, however, and they noticed kitchen drawers and cabinets had padlocks on them. One of the latches appeared to have been broken and a padlock was lying on the ground.
When officers approached Powell, she said she was sorry she killed her mother and that she stabbed her during an argument.
A juvenile male was found laying on a couch in the living room with stab woulds to his back.
When she saw this, Powell reportedly screamed, “Oh no! Is he gonna die too? I’m so sorry junior. I’m so sorry. Please forgive me.”
The boy was taken to an area hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Powell later told police she threw the knife she used in the attack on a neighbor’s doorstep. Home security video showed Powell throwing the knife toward to porch of a home in the 30 block of South Sherman Street.
In addition to the homicide charge, Powell faces charges of aggravated assault-injury with a deadly weapon and tampering with evidence.
The Luzerne County Public Defender’s office was appointed to represent Powell. Chief Public Defender Joseph Yeager met with the suspect and advised investigators she would not agree to an interview prior to her arrest.