In April of last year, 23 year-old mother Felicia Chen did the unthinkable: she drowned her 3 babies. Well tonight, she is at prison awaiting sentence after she pleaded guilty in the Supreme Court to killing her children.
The guilty plea was accepted today before Justice Troadio Gonzalez, when Chen, who was to start standing trial for 3 counts of murder told the court that she wished to forego a trial and accept responsibility for her actions. Instead of pleading guilty to murder, however, she was allowed to plead guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter.
Crown Counsel, Sheneiza Smith told the court that the prosecution was willing to accept her plea for manslaughter based on the findings of the Ministry of Health psychiatrist. He certified that Chen was suffering from depression, and so, she was only partially responsible, and therefore is entitled to a defence of diminished responsibility because of her actions.
After the court accepted her plea, it held a mitigation hearing for Chen, where her sister testified and asked for leniency.
Chen testified on her own behalf in mitigation saying that she was not in a correct state of mind, and she was diagnosed with depression. She said that she was a victim of domestic abuse. She added that she pawned her belongings to support her children, and ended up having to turn to prostitution to support her family. Trying to explain her actions, Chen told the court that she wished that she could turn back the hands of time. She asked for the judge to give her a minimum sentence so that she can one day be with her only surviving daughter.
Her attorney, Leslie Mendez, testified on her behalf, saying that Chen suffered from a personality disorder, and that she was hallucinating and hearing voices which told her to drown her kids. Mendez explained that Chen got pregnant at the age of 15 with her first child, and that she went to live with the father of her child and that she experienced varying forms of emotional, physical, and sexual abuse from him. She concluded with the explanation that Chen is receiving psychiatric treatment, and has shown significant improvement.
Justice Gonzalez deferred sentencing for Monday July 14.
As we reported, on April 23, 2013, Chen took her 3 young children - 4 year old Triana, 3 year old Thomas, and 1 year old Trinaya Teul to Belizean Beach at mile 3 on the Western Highway and drowned them in the sea.
