A mother accused of slitting her three young children's throats with a kitchen knife, killing two, told their father on video: "Say goodbye to your kids."
Kailey Erhart, 22, faces two counts of murder, one count of attempted murder, three counts of aggravated assault with a dangerous weapon, two counts of terrorising with a dangerous weapon and a misdemeanour domestic violence charge stemming from the August 6 attack at a home located on South Frontier Trail, North Dakota.
Police response
Mandan police officers responded about 5.40 pm after the children’s father called 911. Dispatchers reported that the mother had locked herself inside with the three children and intended to kill them. Officers forced entry after hearing an assault underway inside. They found Erhart covered in blood, holding a kitchen knife to her own throat.
She dropped the weapon and told officers to kill her, according to a police affidavit. In a nearby bedroom, officers discovered the three children unresponsive with severe neck wounds — cutting, slashing or stabbing injuries to their throats.
Victims and injuries
A five-month-old and a three-year-old died of their injuries. The infant was pronounced dead at St Alexius Medical Centre that evening; the three-year-old died early the next morning at Sanford Health. The one-year-old survived after undergoing extensive surgery and has remained hospitalised.
Before the killings, Erhart had chased the children’s father and their grandmother from the home with a knife. Court documents state she had recently obtained a handgun and threatened the father with it. He wrestled the pistol away during a struggle in which she bit and scratched him, then disassembled the weapon and scattered the pieces. Erhart locked the pair outside.
Video evidence
Video footage recovered from the father’s mobile phone showed Erhart carrying one of the children while holding the pistol at her hip. In the recording she tells him: "Say goodbye to your kids."
After being formally advised of her Miranda rights, Erhart told investigators she placed the children on the bed and believed their throats had been cut beforehand. She said she remembered holding the knife when police arrived but claimed limited memory of the rest of the night.
Background and legal proceedings
The couple was in the process of separating, and the father had planned to divorce Erhart. He had previously reported threats by her to kill herself and the children. She had been placed in a mental health facility 12 to 18 months earlier and was later cleared to be with the children.
Mandan Police Chief Jason Ziegler described the scene as one 'nobody should ever have to see in their lifetime.' Officers who responded were left traumatised by what they encountered.
District Judge Marina Spahr set Erhart’s bail bond at $3 million cash, citing the extreme violence and threat to the community and surviving victims. She ordered Erhart to have no contact with the surviving child or family members. Erhart has not entered a plea. A preliminary court hearing is scheduled for 6 October.
Erhart was booked into the Burleigh Morton Detention Centre. If convicted of the murder charges, she faces the real possibility of serving life in prison without parole.
Police have not publicly identified the children by name. The surviving one-year-old child continues to receive medical care.
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