John Jefferson
Left: Tiffanie Lucas appears in court on Oct. 23, 2024 and pleads guilty to murdering her sons (WLKY). Right: Lucas with sons Jayden and Maurice (Celine Tiffanie Ann/Facebook).
After a change of plea hearing expected last week ended up delayed, a 33-year-old Kentucky woman appeared in court Wednesday and pleaded guilty to murdering her two sons, ages 6 and 9, by shooting them in the head at home, bringing an official end to her claim that she was “legally insane” at the time.
Tiffanie Lucas had been heading towards a December murder trial in the deaths of her sons Maurice “Peanut” Baker Jr. and Jayden Howard after she was indicted for shooting both of the children in a bedroom inside their Shepherdsville home on Bentwood Drive back on Nov. 8, 2023.
Lucas appeared in a Bullitt County courtroom wearing jail orange and was shortly thereafter sworn in. She confirmed that her testimony would be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. She gave her full name, her home address (the murder scene), her birthday (she turned 33 on Oct. 2), and said she had a high school education.
Next, Judge Rodney Burress asked Lucas a series of questions.
“Do you suffer now or have you ever suffered from any mental illness or defect which would affect your ability to think and reason?” the judge inquired.
“No, sir,” Lucas answered.
“At this time, are you ill or in any way impaired in your judgment?” the judge followed up.
“No, sir,” the defendant replied.
“Are you under the influence of alcohol or any other type of drug?” the judge asked.
“No, sir,” Lucas said again, confirming that she understood what was happening — that by pleading guilty she was waiving her right to a jury trial and her right to appeal.
In September, Lucas’s defense team indicated that their trial strategy would be contend she was not legally sane at the time of the shooting.
As Law&Crime has reported, Lucas was accused of firing four shots in 30 seconds, claiming the shooting “was an accident,” and claiming that she was “manipulated through Facebook, through the internet or through Wi-Fi […] into doing what she did.”
The Bullitt County Sheriff’s Office said that a neighboring husband and wife saw Lucas lying down in their driveway on the morning of the slayings and the man called 911 after discovering the shocking scene inside the suspect’s home. Lucas had allegedly told the neighbors her “kids were dying.”
After Lucas’ arrest, a detective testified that she said “I’m in such a bad spot” when she was questioned about the crimes, said “I’m so stupid,” and claimed she “would never do anything like this unless someone manipulated me.”
Her statements in court on Wednesday, however, blamed no one other than herself.
Lucas acknowledged that she entered an “open plea,” meaning she was pleading guilty to two murders without a plea deal or sentencing recommendation from prosecutors in the Bullitt County Commonwealth Attorney’s Office.
Burress noted that when he sentences Lucas she will face 20 to 50 years behind bars or life in prison on both murder counts, and that it will be within his discretion to decide whether the punishments will run consecutively or concurrently.
She said she understood and then admitted that she was pleading guilty because she is guilty.
The parties then agreed that sentencing will occur at 9 a.m. on Nov. 22.
The victims’ aunt Bobbie Baker reportedly told WLKY after the hearing that she was “glad” Lucas “openly said she was guilty” but hoped that the judge will ensure the defendant will never get out of prison.
“You were a monster to them at the end of the day,” Baker reportedly said she would tell Lucas if she had the chance. “That’s what you became to them.”
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