PLYMOUTH, Mass. — A Brockton mother who repeatedly stabbed her two young sons to death during a “voodoo ritual” in 2018 has been sentenced to life in prison.
Latarsha Sanders appeared in Plymouth District Court on Wednesday and was given two mandatory life sentences for first-degree murder after a jury found her guilty in the deaths of her 5- and 8-year-old sons.
A judge ordered Sanders to serve the sentences concurrently, in addition to a sentence of 9-10 years for witness intimidation. She will be housed at the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center in Lancaster.
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/PHMKSI2FKREYNDOUDMU73MARTI.jpg)
Despite a nine-day trial, it only took the jury four hours to convict Sanders, according to the Plymouth District Attorney’s Office.
Police responded to Sanders’ Prospect Street home in February 2018, and found her sons stabbed to death. Sanders told investigators she stabbed her sons 50 times as part of a voodoo ritual.
Investigators noted that Sanders had cleaned up the children, placed them in beds, and mopped up the crime scene. She never sought medical attention for the boys.
Massachusetts State Police later located a kitchen knife left in the sink that was determined to be the murder weapon.
Days after the sad discovery, hundreds gathered at the home to hold a vigil, remembering the two boys.
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/V26QMX2EFJANBBST7EQ3BVW4B4.PNG)
Family members then told Boston 25 News that Sanders had never mentioned voodoo rituals before, despite showing some interest in conspiracy theories.
“These two young boys were innocent babies with their lives ahead of them,” Plymouth DA Timothy Cruz said. “This was an emotional and difficult case for all of the family members involved. There were no winners in the courtroom today.”
Sanders has the right to appeal to the sentences.
HAPPENING NOW: Judge imposed mandatory life sentences for first degree murder charges and both counts run concurrently. He then imposed a 9–10 year sentence for witness intimidation. Latarsha Sanders has the right to appeal. She will be housed at Souza-Baranowski.
— Kelly Sullivan (@ksullivannews) December 28, 2022
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
©2022 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/7QOJU3BNCJERBNKJC5LWTBYFLU.png)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/FVMASV3SYVHEXG2DLFD4HG3BFA.png)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/Q6F43L5T7ZGIBOV4REI2YI2PUY.png)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/WWUI6Q6IGNGJ5ITE3S2K3BMFUM.png)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/DDPELO3IEJBOBGRM2DHZKZGKUY.png)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/JMP5G7DLBRH2RLGXP6Y3DVITME.jpeg)