A Liberian woman drowned her infant son and his 5-year-old half-brother in a bathtub hours after she called police and told them she was worried about being deported, a Delaware police chief said Tuesday.
Kula Pelima who has lived in the U.S. for two decades, called 911 about 3:45 a.m.
Monday, fearing that her visa had lapsed. It’s not clear why Pelima was
worried as Immigration and Customs Enforcement said she entered the
United States lawfully, with no known criminal convictions. .
.
An
officer visited her home early Monday and told her local authorities
were not going to arrest her, the police chief said. The officer even
gave Pelima an immigration hotline number to call, and observed the
older boy doing well during the visit. .
.
Pelima
called 911 again about 8:30 a.m. and said she had drowned her son,
4-month-old Solomon Epelle, and 5-year-old Alex Epelle. Pelima, 30, was
charged with two counts of first-degree murder and was being held on $2
million bond. .
.
Pelima’s boyfriend,
Victor Epelle, 38, the father of both boys, is a native of Nigeria. He
was taken into custody by immigration authorities in Pennsylvania on
Sept. 14. The couple lived together in Wilmington, and she helped care
for both children, the police chief said. .
.
Epelle
was in the United States legally, but he had violated the terms of his
status, ICE said. It wasn’t immediately clear what he had done. He was
released from custody Monday on humanitarian grounds after being
notified of the deaths of his sons.
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