Categories: Florida

Florida Mom Indicted With Murdering Her 3 Children

PALM BAY, Florida — A Florida grand jury in Brevard County has indicted 33-year-old Jessica McCarty of Palm Bay, Florida with three first-degree premeditated murder charges for killing her three children: five-month-old Christopher Swift; six-year-old Phillip McCarty; and seven-year-old Lacey McCarty. The grand jury heard testimony from the Brevard County Associate Medical Examiner, three Brevard County Crime Scene Investigators, and a Palm Bay Police Detective before returning the indictment.

Jessica McCarty called Palm Bay police just before 6 p.m. on March 20 to report that that she had slit her wrists and that her children were dead at their home located at 1169 Kenmore St. N.W. in Palm Bay, Florida. When police officers arrived at the home, there was a woman in the front yard armed with a knife who was later identified as McCarty. Police say that McCarty did not comply with repeated commands from the officers to drop the knife which led the officers to deploy several “less lethal” bean bag rounds to gain compliance. McCarty was then taken into custody.

McCarty was later arrested on March 21 on two murder counts and one attempted murder count when 5-month-old Christopher Swist remained in critical condition at Orlando Hospital. Swist later succumbed to his wounds, which resulted in the third murder charge. McCarty will be arrested again today on the third murder count, according to a press release from the State Attorney’s Office.

McCarty is scheduled for a first appearance on the full indictment on Wednesday at the Brevard County Jail where she has been held on a no-bond status.