A 23-year-old mother from Queens accused of killing her twin infants is facing life in prison if she's convicted of murder, District Attorney Melinda Katz announced Saturday.
Katz's office announced charges against Danezja Kilpatrick of two counts each of
murder in the first and second degree, criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child.
"The babies were just six-weeks-old. This should have been a joyous time for this family, instead the babies’ relatives are mourning their deaths and the sad fact that the one person who should have been their protector and loving caregiver allegedly killed them," Katz said in a statement Saturday.
The twins, a boy and a girl just 46 days old, were found at the Woodside Houses in Queens after a cousin of their mother called 911 to request a wellness check, according to law enforcement sources and two senior NYPD officials.
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Responding officers found the infants unresponsive; both were pronounced dead at the scene by EMS. Senior law enforcement officials said that one of the young children, a boy identified as Dallis Bentley, was found in a crib and appeared to have been stabbed.
Dallis was found with a stab wound to the neck, face down with a knife sticking out of the back of his neck, by firefighters, two senior NYPD officials with knowledge of the investigation said Friday.
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The other infant, a girl identified as Dakota Bentley, was discovered wrapped in a pink blanket inside of a plastic bag under a sink after the mother pointed to the cabinet when asked, officials familiar with the matter said. She was found with no obvious sign of physical injuries.
Crime scene detectives found Pine-Sol in baby bottles in the home, the two seniors officials said. Autopsy results are still pending.
Kilpatrick had been labeled by police as a person of interest in their investigation by Thursday night, when they took her into custody for questioning. Nearly 24 hours later, police were filing murder charges against the mother.
The mother's set to return to court on May 21, according to the district attorney's office. They also said that Kilpatrick faces life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted on the charges against her.
The twins were said to have been born on March 7, making them just over six weeks old at the time they were found by first responders.
There was no indication that the family had any previous domestic incidents or involvement from the city's Administration for Children's Services, officials familiar with the matter said.
