According to the police officials, the 38-year-old mother was charged with murder this weekend after police say she drowned her 15-month-old daughter during a baptism. Police say the mom drowned her baby because she believed ‘everyone was about to die from COVID-19 and that the return of Jesus Christ was impending.’ The 38-year old mom of six is also accused of stabbing her teenage daughter and husband when they tried to intervene and protect the baby.
The 38-year-old suspect, Precious Leslie Bland, was charged on Saturday with one count of second-degree murder, two counts of attempted second-degree murder, and two counts of aggravated child abuse. All of the charges are felonies.
Police were called to her home in Florida at approximately 9:15 p.m. on Aug. 23. Her husband, Evan, met with the responding officers at the front door and was visibly bleeding after suffering multiple stab wounds to his head and neck.
He told police that his wife had appeared agitated all day and was repeatedly talking about the return of Jesus and how everyone was going to die from COVID-19.
“She was upset, stating that Jesus Christ is coming and COVID is going to kill us all. Precious insisted everyone needed to be baptized and that she was going to baptize everyone in the bathtub”, Evan told police.
Her husband said that Precious started by filling up the bathtub with water and holding their 15-month-old daughter, Emii, under until she was no longer moving. Evan told police that he tried to help his daughter and began struggling with his wife. She then allegedly shouted for their 16-year-old daughter to get her a knife, though she did not say why. The teen retrieved the knife for her mother who then allegedly stabbed her husband in the neck and head and then stabbed her teenage daughter in the forearms when she attempted to get Emmi out of the bathtub.
Evan and his daughter were taken to hospital where their wounds were treated. The officers found the 15-month-old baby unresponsive, inside the bathtub filled with bloody water. She was taken to a hospital, but was pronounced dead. The suspect was found with self-inflicted stab wounds. She was also taken to hospital for treatment. Authorities say that the toddler’s death was a homicide and the cause of death was drowning. Precious allegedly confessed to intentionally drowning Emii and stabbing her husband and daughter on Sept. 1. She was discharged from the hospital and arrested on Sept. 2.