Tennessee mother waives hearing in fatal stabbings of her four children
August 10, 2016 at 10:13 p.m.
| Updated August 10, 2016 at 10:13 p.m.
by
Associated Press
This 2016 arrest photo provided by the Shelby County Sheriff's Office shows Shanynthia Gardner of Memphis, Tenn. Gardner is charged with fatally stabbing her four children in an apartment and is scheduled to appear before a judge by video for an arraignment Tuesday, July 5, 2016.
MEMPHIS - A woman accused of stabbing her four young children has waived her preliminary hearing, meaning a grand jury will decide whether to indict her in the killings.
Twenty-nine year old Shanynthia Gardner was arrested after her 7-year-old son escaped from their Memphis apartment on July 1 and told someone that his mother was stabbing his sister. Authorities found the bodies of three daughters and a son, all younger than 5.
Her lawyer, Craig Morton, has said she isn't a violent person and likely has a mental disability. She is undergoing a court-ordered mental evaluation.
She signed the hearing waiver Wednesday and Judge Bill Anderson Jr. accepted it.