Mother accused of killing her two children with a meat cleaver
Blade found in blood-stained clothing after 40-year-old tells officers she ‘woke up’ to find bodies and blood on her hands
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A mother has been accused of murdering her two children with a meat cleaver in Phoenix, Arizona, following an argument with her husband.
Officials said 40-year-old Yui Inoue turned up at a police station in the Phoenix suburb of Tempe on Saturday, and told officers she could hear voices telling her to kill her two children, aged 7 and 9.
She said she “woke up” to the situation after taking a bath at 4.30am, and found blood on her hands, and the bodies of her children in a bedroom doorway.
Their bodies were found by officers in an apartment, under a blanket and boxes, with “significant injuries”.
“Including numerous lacerations, incised wounds and some amputations, consistent with a violent attack and defensive wounds,” Sergeant Steven Carbajal, a Tempe police spokesman, confirmed on Sunday.
Ms Inoue also had blood and lacerations on her body, and there were blood stains in her vehicle, Sgt Carbajal added.
Officers recovered a meat cleaver with a 6-inch (15-cm) blade from a bag with blood-stained clothing from the vehicle.
“There were several pieces of information/evidence that led detectives to believe that the cleaver was the weapon used during this incident,” Sgt Carbajal said.
About four hours before the 40-year-old “woke up”, her husband had walked out of the apartment following an argument over moving to Japan, and money for it.
Police were called to apartment with reports of an argument, and officials said there were no child welfare concerns during the first call out.
A different set of officers recovered the children’s bodies.
On Saturday, Ms Inoue was charged with two counts of first-degree murder, and remains in jail, according to Tempe police.
She required a Japanese interpreter for police interviews, and it was unclear if she had a lawyer.
Additional reporting by Associated Press.