The SC legacy of Susan Smith? :(

Reba

Reba

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Not again. :(

The Post and Courier
Charleston-area mother accused of driving van in ocean charged

Natalie Caula Hauff

Posted: Friday, March 7, 2014 10:18 a.m., Updated: Friday, March 7, 2014 1:27 p.m.

The Charleston-area woman who is accused of driving a van carrying her children into the ocean near Daytona Beach earlier this week was charged today with three counts of attempted first-degree murder and three counts of child abuse by the Volusia County Sheriff's Office.

"She definitely tried to kill her children," Sheriff Ben Johnson said during a press conference Friday afternoon.

Ebony Wilkerson, 32, who had recently been living in North Charleston in Dorchester County, had traveled to Florida last weekend.

Wilkerson had been underdoing mental evaluation since Tuesday, when authorities said she drove the van into the water.

Wilkerson put up her windows and locked the van's doors as she drove into the ocean, authorities said.

"She told them to close their eyes and go to sleep and that she was taking them to a better place," Johnson said. Two days before the alleged incident, Wilkersson told North Charleston police her husband had attacked her while they were staying in Myrtle Beach the previous weekend, according to authorities.

Wilkerson had already reported the alleged assault she said occurred March 1 to Myrtle Beach police, but also reported it to North Charleston police March 2, according to an incident report. She alleged that her husband held her down against her will.

Lutful Ronjon, 31, has not been charged. The couple have been married for 14 years.

After returning from Myrtle Beach to their North Charleston apartment, Wilkerson, who is pregnant, decided to leave with her children to Florida, the report stated.

Wilkerson told police while she was packing up the van, her husband tried grabbing her, but she was able to shut the door and take off, according to the report.

A friend followed her in a separate car and they stopped at the Walmart on Dorchester Road where Wilkerson said she saw a man staring at her while they were in the checkout lane, the report stated.

Wilkerson and her friend drove to North Charleston City Hall, where she spoke to police.

She reported the assault that she said occurred in Myrtle Beach and said she thought she had been followed to city hall by a man she didn't know, according to the report.

Wilkerson was scared the unidentified man would continue following her, so she asked police to escort her out of the city, the report stated.

An officer escorted the Wilkerson and her family to the College Park Road exit.

By the next day, Wilkerson had made it to Daytona Beach, Fla., where her sister, Jessica Harrell, lives, according to authorities.

Harrell checked her sister into a hospital Monday, but Wilkerson checked herself out the next day, according to a 911 recording.

Worried about her well-being and state of mind, Harrell called police Tuesday when Wilkerson tried leaving her house, where she spoke about demons being in the house, according to the 911 recording.

Daytona Beach police stopped Wilkerson, who was traveling in a van with her children but did not detain her.

Police later said she did not meet the criteria that would give authorities the power to take Wilkerson into custody under the Baker Act.

About two hours later, Wilkerson drove the van carrying her kids into the Atlantic Ocean.

The children were rescued and Wilkerson made it out OK, according to police.

The children were hospitalized but were released into the state's protective custody Thursday, according to Florida's Department of Children and Families.

In an another incident, Ronjon was arrested and charged on May 11, 2005, with domestic battery, according to court records.

The wife's name was redacted from the report obtained by The Post and Courier. But the report identifies the wife's sister as Jessica Harrell, Wilkerson's sister.

Ronjon struck his wife during an argument about receipts, leaving her with a bruise on her cheek, according to the report.

He was charged with domestic battery and went through a domestic violence pretrial service program before the charge was dismissed, according to court records.

Ronjon could not be reached for comment.
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http://www.postandcourier.com/artic...other-accused-of-driving-van-in-ocean-charged
 
Re:

The case bears eerie similarities to at least two high-profile cases in South Carolina.

In 1994, Susan Smith drove her car into a Union lake, killing her two boys, 3-year-old Michael and 14-month-old Alex.

Smith, now 42, was convicted in 1995 and sentenced to life in prison.

Shaquan Duley, now 32, killed 2-year-old Devean Duley and 18-month old Ja'van Duley in August 2010 in Orangeburg. Duley smothered her children at the Trumps Inn, then strapped them into her Chrysler sedan and submerged it in the North Edisto River.
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http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20140305/PC16/140309688/1180
 
The minivan rescue. Thank God for these wonderful rescuers!
 

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I understand how hard parents are. BUT i dont know what are their cases. always keep eyes on kids aroudn here. like my friend saw kids alone in the car at a mall. :shock:
 
Reba said:
The minivan rescue. Thank God for these wonderful rescuers!
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I saw that on TV and the men risk their lives to save all the children and they where horrific to see that there was baby in the car too. There was at tragic case where a mother drowned all her children in the bathtub . :(
The guys are heroes!
 
whatdidyousay! said:
I saw that on TV and the men risk their lives to save all the children and they where horrific to see that there was baby in the car too. There was at tragic case where a mother drowned all her children in the bathtub . :(
The guys are heroes!
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Yes, they are heroes. That van could have rolled over on them at any time, or gone out further into the ocean with them trapped inside. They did well.
 
Reba said:
Yes, they are heroes. That van could have rolled over on them at any time, or gone out further into the ocean with them trapped inside. They did well.
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I think I heard one guy did get hit by the van but he did not give up saving the children. I was so :shock: when I first saw this on the news. I just can't understand anyone doing this to their children or any child. I don't care how crazy they're , you just don't do that !
 
Right out of high school they got married. Wondering if this would be considered grounds for divorce by certain members here. Is this marriage salvageable if they would communicate better?
 
saywhatkid said:
Right out of high school they got married. Wondering if this would be considered grounds for divorce by certain members here. Is this marriage salvageable if they would communicate better?
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Only after a whole team of psychiatrists work on her around the clock in Zurich.
Poor lady sure has issues.
 
Been reading about it....just don't know what to say here.....just happy the kids were rescued...drowning is a horrible way to die.....
 
Beowulf said:
Only after a whole team of psychiatrists work on her around the clock in Zurich.
Poor lady sure has issues.
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I fear for the future of these children, even without this latest event in their lives. Can you imagine the nights spent cowering under the covers? :cold:
 
saywhatkid said:
I fear for the future of these children, even without this latest event in their lives. Can you imagine the nights spent cowering under the covers? :cold:
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It might not have been bad for them. I suppose we will find out soon enough.
 
I hope children are being taken care of by other family member. They should never go back to their parents. Not safe environment for them. :(
 
Beowulf said:
It might not have been bad for them. I suppose we will find out soon enough.
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:shock: Are you serious ? The boy was screaming for help saying "Help us ,our mother is trying to kill us!" Did you even read the story , the mother told her kids to close their eyes that she is taking them to a better place then drive into the ocean. I had nightmare about my baby being kidnap and given back to me in a paper bag , she cut up like a chicken and been cooked . I told this to a friend and she reminded me about the time my dad put me in a roasting pan with matches around the pan and was putting me in the stove , my mom stopped him . I was only a baby but that staying in my mind my whole life. I hope to hell the children will get some help so they heal and have a normal life as possible. You don't forget stuff like that . I know the mom is being check out for mental illness but I heard nothing about poor children getting any help . I hope they do.
 
whatdidyousay! said:
:shock: Are you serious ? The boy was screaming for help saying "Help us ,our mother is trying to kill us!" Did you even read the story , the mother told her kids to close their eyes that she is taking them to a better place then drive into the ocean. I had nightmare about my baby being kidnap and given back to me in a paper bag , she cut up like a chicken and been cooked . I told this to a friend and she reminded me about the time my dad put me in a roasting pan with matches around the pan and was putting me in the stove , my mom stopped him . I was only a baby but that staying in my mind my whole life. I hope to hell the children will get some help so they heal and have a normal life as possible. You don't forget stuff like that . I know the mom is being check out for mental illness but I heard nothing about poor children getting any help . I hope they do.
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True, but I am going by only what I read. It says nothing about their home life. If she got the screaming mimis each night, wouldn't the article have mentioned it?
 
The article says her husband smacked her on the face and left a bruise. Isn't that enough to bother the kids, if they witnessed it?
 
So the dad smacking her bothers the kids
But the mom attempting to murder them does what?
Clearly all things considered this vile woman needed far more then A wee slap
 
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