By Victor Omondi
According to WATN-TV, Shanynthia Gardner, the Tennessee mother convicted of murdering four of her five children, was sentenced to life in prison on Tuesday, with the chance of release after 51 years.
Gardner was found guilty in 2016 of slicing the throats of her four youngest children: 4-year-old Tallen; 3-year-old Sya; 2 year-old Sahvi; and 6-month old Yahzi.
Gardner’s eldest child, Dallen Clayton, was 7 years old at the time and managed to flee the Memphis, Tenn., apartment unharmed, according to PEOPLE. Following the killings, he was placed under protective custody.
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Gardner was married to Martin Gardner at the time of the murders, and they had two younger children together. Dallen is from a previous relationship.
Gardner faces four counts of first-degree murder in connection with aggravated child abuse, four counts of first-degree murder in connection with aggravated child neglect, and four counts of aggravated child abuse and aggravated child neglect or endangerment, respectively.
Gardner has had psychiatric issues in the past. According to KMOV4, her sister admitted to having had mental health issues in the past.
Prosecutors accepted that Gardner had mental health concerns throughout the trial, but claimed that she was still aware of her acts, WATN-TV reports. Prosecutors expect the sentence to be appealed, as per the news outlet.
Dallen’s grandmother said she still “wholeheartedly” loves her former daughter-in-law less than 48 hours after she reportedly stabbed her four younger children to death.
“I forgive her,” Sonya Clayton told the Memphis Commercial Appeal. “I know this was not her. I know this was the work of the devil. I love Shanynthia wholeheartedly still.”
Source: Mother Convicted of Killing Four of Her Five Children Sentenced to Life in Prison
