A mother was charged with murder after she threw her baby from the window of her Bronx apartment Thursday afternoon, making this the third child to be killed in this manner in New York City in three months.
The incident started Wednesday evening when screaming from Tenisha N. Fearon, 27, could be heard from Apartment 6D on Tiebout Avenue near E. 182nd St. in Fordham , according to the New York Times.
The next day, Fearon was heard screaming "Praise the Lord" and "Hallelujah," as she dangled her infant daughter, Janillah Lawrence, out of her top-floor window.
Responding to the screams, residents climbed up a fire escape to a nearby rooftop to urge her to reconsider her actions.
"They were yelling at her, 'Don't do it. Think about it,'" neighbor Lizette Rodriguez said, according to People. "She was screaming, 'We're all gonna die.'"
At that pont, Rodriguez decided to call 911 but heard a loud thump while she was explaining the situation to a dispatcher.
"I heard the thump when I was on the phone with 911," said Rodriguez, describing the moment when Janillah landed. "And I gasped, 'Oh my God.' "
Police soon arrived on the scene and had to bust down the apartment door since Fearon decided not to answer, reported the New York Daily News. When they entered, the police found Fearon naked on the floor surrounded by her other three children who were also naked and on the floor.
Police took the other three children - a 4-year-old girl, an 8-year-old girl and a 10-year-old boy - to a hospital and took the mother into custody. As she was led away, she said "the devil is in her."
The infant was rushed to the hospital where she was pronounced dead.
After being charged with second-degree murder, Fearon was taken to Bronx Lebanon Hospital for a mental evaluation.
People who were acquainted with Fearon were shocked by the incident, claiming she showed no signs of mental issues prior to the incident.
"She never told me she had problems," said Pauline Bryan, who knows Fearon from the neighborhood. "She's not a mother like that. May God help her."
The city's child welfare agency, the Administration for Children's Services, said it was investigating and was working to ensure the well-being of the three other children.
