A Lexington mother entered into a plea deal Monday morning on amended charges for fatally stabbing her two children in May 2022.
Nikki James, 45, was charged with two counts of murder in the deaths of her children, who were 5 and 13 years old, Lexington police previously said.
According to court testimony in the case, the children were stabbed to death in their Rogers Road apartment.
On Monday, she accepted a plea deal to two counts of manslaughter, according to James’ attorney, Bonnie Potter.
James faces 20 years in prison – 10 years for each charge.
“She is heartbroken over the loss of her children, but happy that the criminal charges have been resolved,” Potter told the Herald-Leader.
She was originally sentenced to life in prison on the murder charge. Potter said two psychiatrists found James was suffering from psychosis at the time of the crimes. Potter said her client hopes bringing light to her mental illness will encourage other women to seek help early.
James was arrested in May 2022 after police went to her apartment building and found her covered in blood, according to previous court testimony. Her children, Skyler and Deon, were in the apartment suffering from multiple stab wounds. They were pronounced dead by the Fayette County Coroner’s Office after being transported to a hospital, police and the coroner said.
Joshua Crowe, a detective with the Lexington Police Department, previously testified that James’ neighbors called police after hearing her say, “kill yourself and kill the kids,” and seeing her banging on their doors covered in blood.
Crowe added that several witnesses at the scene told officers that they heard James make statements that she “wanted to go home” and “she had killed her children, but she couldn’t kill herself.”
James appeared to have deep cuts on her body, Crowe testified. Several weapons were found at the scene.
The case raised questions about mental health treatment
The way the original case was handled led to questions from the Lexington NAACP about the Lexington Police Department’s response to the incident and whether the two children’s deaths could have been prevented.
The local NAACP chapter previously asked the Lexington mayor and city council to investigate how police responded when they were called for a welfare check at James’ apartment the day before the children died.
In a 2022 press release, the NAACP asked additional questions of the city about the incident. The NAACP asked what information about James’ mental health was passed on to police when they visited the home.
The NAACP also asked what was shared about James’ mental health and the well-being of her children that prevented police from seeking treatment for James or contacting child care providers.
The NAACP also asked whether law enforcement denied James access to attorneys during her hospital stay after the fatal incident.
This story will be updated.
