Darlene Nicole Brister (Paulding County Sheriff’s Office) and the scene outside the home where she killed her 3 kids (GoFundMe)
A 42-year-old mother in Georgia has escaped the death penalty and will spend the rest of her days behind bars for killing three of her young children, stabbing them to death inside of their family home before setting it on fire. Paulding County Superior Court Judge T. David Lyles last week ordered Darlene Nicole Brister to serve three consecutive sentences of life without the possibility for parole for the 2022 slayings of the little ones, a 9-month-old, a 3-year-old, and a 5-year-old, court records obtained by Law&Crime show.
Brister reached a negotiated plea deal with prosecutors and agreed to plead guilty to three counts of malice murder in her children’s deaths. The deal resulted in counts of felony murder, aggravated assault, arson, and cruelty to children being dismissed against Brister.
Prosecutors in September 2022 had filed paperwork with the court declaring their intention to seek the death penalty against Brister. In the filing, prosecutors set forth numerous “aggravating circumstances” which, if proven, authorized the state to put her to death.
The filing states that Brister committed multiple murders during the commission of other felonies, including aggravated battery and first-degree arson. The state further alleged that the murders “were outrageously, wantonly, vile, horrible, and inhuman” because they “involved torture and depravity of mind.”
District Attorney Matthew Rollins said the decision to file the Notice of Intent to Seek the Death Penalty was not one he “reached lightly,” but said that the facts and circumstances surrounding the case made it appropriate.
As previously reported by Law&Crime, the horrific crime took place on the evening of June 24, 2022. At about 9:19 p.m., deputies with the Paulding County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call regarding a domestic disturbance at a home located in the 700 block of Woodwind Drive in Rockmart, Georgia. It was reported to the dispatcher that a female — later identified as Brister — was inside of the home and attempting to stab the other occupants.
At the time of the emergency call, the caller said that the house was on fire and all of the occupants were still inside.
Upon arriving at the scene, deputies and firefighters entered the home to rescue the occupants and the fire was eventually extinguished. At that point, investigators entered the premises and “went to work to make sense of the chaotic scene.”
Authorities said that after the fire was put out, they were able to locate seven juveniles still inside of the home. Two of those kids, the the 9-month-old and the 3-year-old were pronounced dead at the scene. Both children were determined to have been killed by multiple stab wounds.
A 5-year-old was also found in the home suffering from multiple stab wound. The child was rushed to a local hospital for treatment but succumbed to his injuries and was later pronounced dead.
Two older children were injured in the grisly attack, with one being in critical condition when authorities arrived, but both ultimately survived.
Brister was also located on the property and taken into custody.
In the days following the tragic killings, Brister’s husband told Atlanta NBC affiliate WXIA that his wife had been suffering from mental health problems.
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
