Yokela Smith is a mother who did something that nightmares are made of: She shot both of her young children in cold blood.
The mother says that she was frightened and hearing voices in her head. She saw images and believed that the police were after her. She explained all of this in a letter to a St. Louis judge as the courts try to decide if she is mentally competent to stand trial for what she did to her own kids.
Cathy MacElroy, the lawyer for Ms. Smith, says that she needs to be evaluated by a psychiatrist.
“I can’t comment on a pending case,” MacElroy said.
A psychologist is going to evaluate Smith, and a report will be sent to the judge with a hearing on December 6. Four year old Yokela Smith and 5-year old LeVada Brown were found dead from shot gun blasts on August 31. Smith’s oldest son, 8-year old Xaveious Brown, was able to escape unharmed.
The 25-year old woman was released from Madison County Jail on August 26 after being held for aggravated assault on a police officer. This was right before she murdered her children. She’d been accused of punching an officer in the shoulder, a crime to which she confessed and agreed to a one-year probationary sentence.
“If I get into anymore trouble, I will do 5 to 7 years in the white woman’s institution, it was said,” Smith wrote in her letter to the judge.
This wasn’t the only time this year that Smith has had run-ins with the law. In January, she was charged with resisting arrest and in March, she was charged with disorderly conduct. In the second case, she tried to barge into a neighbor’s apartment. She went home on August 26th to be with her children.
Five days later, at the same time her children were killed, Smith was stopped by police after leaving a video game store. Her license was already suspended for driving under the influence.
“I had been drinking and popped an X-pill. I had got scared and lost it. Everything went black,” Smith wrote. “When I came to, I was sitting on the couch with a gun to my head, trying to kill myself.”
Smith is currently being treated for bipolar disorder, depression and schizophrenia.
“I am truly sorry for what happened to my kids,” Smith wrote. “I loved them dearly and miss them, too.”
She is fit to stand trial.
You notice she didnt take her own life.
Obviously she is disturbed…psych evaluation, treatment then some (not full) prison time. Bearing the guilt of taking your own children s’ lives has got to be like living in hell..maybe worse than prison..maybe she will take her own life, then the bloodthirsty will be soothed..
Yeah, she wasn’t that crazy!!! It appears that she was whacked out on drugs. Hang her ass!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
She has no excuse!
She has no conscienious. May she rot in prison!!
She must be one of the white boys genocide tools.
its sad that this mother done this to her kids like that me bein a mother i could never du that to mines no matter how much they may get on my nerves if i holler at my baby i feel bad children r so PRESIOUS n i love kids if she felt like she couldnt handle bein a mom any more then she should have gave them to someone not kill them it aint that much havin a pshcological problem to kill ur dam kids she should have out the gun to herself god bless the family
They don’t hang ppl hea dumb fool don’t get on no racist tip ass hole !!! Nd yeah i’m black nd thas offensive and racist if thas ur mindset ……
some cop out smh!
this heifer needs her a** beat. sounds to me as though she got high and killed her kids. she is going to get what she deserves.
she is should have taken her own life, so sad blame it on illness right.