Deborah Jane Martin, 43, was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder Saturday in the killings of her father, 72-year-old David Martin, and her mother, 71-year-old Anne Martin.
An Illinois woman accused of killing her parents was allegedly captured on a “bone-chilling” 911 call stabbing them to death as her mother pleaded with her to stop, prosecutors said.
Deborah Jane Martin, 43, was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder Saturday in the killings of her father, 72-year-old David Martin, and her mother, 71-year-old Anne Martin, at the suburban Chicago home they all shared.
Her mother called for help during the attack, moaning and gasping for air as she managed to utter “No, Debbie,” during the 911 call described by prosecutor Lorna Amado-Chevlin as “bone-chilling,” the Chicago Tribune reported.
Emergency responders rushed to the Arlington Heights house, where they found the couple “beyond medical attention.”
David, whose throat had been slashed, was found near the front door, the Tribune wrote. A trail of blood could be tracked from David to a recliner in the living room, authorities said. He died of multiple stab wounds, the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office determined.
Anne’s body was discovered on the kitchen floor, while the phone she was believed to have used to dial 911 was on a counter. She died from multiple sharp-force injuries, the medical examiner said.
Cops said they found Deborah in the hallway. Her hair was wet, as if she had just showered, and she was the only other person in the home at the time, officials said.
Investigators said they recovered a journal in Deborah’s bedroom in which she allegedly wrote about her intent to kill her parents, Amado-Chevlin reportedly said. They also allegedly found a knife in an upstairs bathroom, its sheath in Deborah’s bedroom and blood clothing, authorities said.
The night her parents were killed, they and Deborah had dinner with neighbors before Deborah left abruptly and went home about 8 p.m. Her parents went home about two hours later, Amado-Chevlin said.
A motive in the killings was not immediately clear.
“It’s hard to determine what persuaded Deborah to take action against her parents at that particular time,” Arlington Heights Police Cmdr. Joseph Pinnello said.
Deborah has no prior criminal history. She was ordered held without bail during a hearing Monday and is due back in court June 27.
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