Tanicia Goodwin: Slit children’s throats, tried to set them on fire

A Salem, Mass. mother has been arrested on charges of attempted murder after she allegedly tried to kill her two children by slashing their throats and trying to set them on fire last night. The mother, Tanicia Goodwin, 25,  reportedly sealed up the family’s apartment ventilation system, turned off smoke detectors, removed doorknobs and sealed off sprinklers before she doused her two young children, Erica, 3, and Jamal, 8, with lighter fluid and set the apartment on fire. She then slashed their throats so violently, fire fighters reported that Jamal’s trachea was visible and he couldn’t speak. Fire fighters also say that they had to wash all the lighter fluid off the children before they could attend to their injuries.

Goodwin, 25, was arraigned this morning in the Salem District Court where she claimed that she was not supposed to be there, because she intended to kill herself as well. She said she was sorry to Erica and Jamal. Goodwin also claimed, “I did what I had to do to protect my children.”

Goodwin suffered from only a minor cut on her throat while both of her children lie in critical condition after being airlifted to trauma units. She was arrested after she fled the burning apartment and turned herself in at a local police stations.

Although Goodwin claims she did this for her children, police say there is no indication that anybody else was involved or what her motive was.

Source: NECN.com