Police officials have arrested and charged a 30-year-old woman with two counts of first-degree murder after two boys were found dead inside her home in Wilmington, Delaware. According to Delaware Online , at around 8:30 a.m. on Monday, Kula Pelima called 911 after growing concerned about her immigration status.
Wilmington Police Chief Robert Tracy stated that Pelima is “a Liberian immigrant that came to the country in 1997, and she was worried about what could happen to her because her boyfriend (the father of both boys) was picked up also by the feds on some immigration issues on Oct. 6.”
Pelima apparently called 911 again, hours later, and told the operator that she had drowned two children, her 4-month-old son, Solomen Eppelle, and her boyfriend’s 5-year-old son, Alex Eppelle. Tracy stated that her voice sounded controlled, not at all like someone who had just murdered two children in her home.
He went out to say that she appeared calm throughout the entire call and had stayed online with the 911 operator, admitting that there was a homicide.
When responding officers arrived at the scene, they noticed the smell of gas. After clearing the area, they entered the home and made a shocking discovery. The two boys were found dead in a bathtub. Pelima admitted to police that she drowned the children.
WATCH NBC10 NEWS LIVE NOW: Police say Wilmington mom admitted to drowning two young boys in bathtub: https://t.co/UqbOcXXRyg pic.twitter.com/I0kZPhBd5F
— NBC10 Philadelphia (@NBCPhiladelphia) October 17, 2017
She was taken to the Wilmington Police Department for questioning. She told investigators that she plugged the bathtub and turned on the water before placing her newborn son in the tub. Afterward, it was reported that she physically assaulted the other boy before walking him into the bathroom. Court documents indicated that Pelima held the child’s head under water until he stopped moving.
During a news conference, police stated that the father of the children, who is incarcerated in a facility in York, Pennsylvania, has been notified of their deaths.
Authorities say that although Pelima called 911, showing concerns for her immigration status after her boyfriend was detained by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, they cannot confirm that to be the motive for the murder.
After the two boys were found dead in their Wilmington home, a vigil was held at the corner of North Adams and Ninth Street, 6 ABC Action News reports.
Pelima appeared before a judge early Tuesday morning for an arraignment. Her bond was set at $2 million cash.
[Featured Image by Wilmington Police Department]
