Russian Mom Drowns Daughter, 3, In 'Exorcism' Because She Was 'Possessed'

Russian prosecutors say a devil-fearing woman drowned her 3-year-old daughter because she thought she was possessed, the U.K.'s Daily Star reported Thursday.

Tamara Artemova, 40, was charged with infanticide for the horrific murder that took place in the bathroom at her home in the city of Kirov.

Artemova claimed she saw "hate" in her daughter Natella's eyes. So she performed a so-called exorcism by filling a bathtub with "holy water" to "wash the devil away," according to the Daily Star.

"When questioned the woman said she had been trying to exorcise the girl's demons because she was possessed," a prosecutor told a central Russian court.

The mother "hoped that if the girl drank enough it would wash the devil away."

Natella was found unresponsive by Artemova's husband, Borys, when he came home from work. She was rushed to a hospital where doctors pronounced her dead.

Neighbors said Artemova, who has three other children, would not stop obsessing over the toddler and was convinced the Devil possessed her and turned her evil, the newspaper reported.

"I once asked her why she thought so and she said the girl had 'hate in her eyes,'" neighbor Nail Abdulov said.

Artemova asserts she did not murder Natella and is to undergo a psychiatric evaluation. But police say she hasn't shown any regret for what happened.

"When arrested she showed no remorse for what she had done, although she said she hadn't meant to kill her," an unnamed police spokesman said, according to the Daily Star.

Artemova faces life in prison if convicted.

Tags

Russia, Exorcism, Murder, Infanticide