(WHDH) — A 29-year-old mother is facing a murder charge after she reportedly stabbed her young daughter at least 30 times with a ceramic kitchen knife, leaving her with a partially severed shoulder and wrist.
Nicole Terri Lester, of West Valley City, Utah, is facing a charge of first-degree aggravated murder in connection with the death of 4-year-old Lainey Vos, the Deseret News reported.
Officers responded to Lester’s home on the morning of Dec. 31, 2019, after she called 911 and told police, “I just killed my daughter,” charging documents obtained by the news outlet indicated.
When responding officers found Lester outside of her home, she reportedly said, “I need to be arrested now.”
Lainey Vos was said to be found in the basement suffering from “defensive wounds” to her arms, hands, and shoulders.
An autopsy found that her wounds were so deep that her “heart, lungs, and even her spine had received cutting injuries,” the charging documents said.
An investigation into Lester’s internet search history reportedly revealed that she searched for topics including “breaking a neck, smashing a head with an ax, breaking bones with an ax, stab wounds to the chest, broken and cracked ribs, and also included medical diagrams of a child’s chest.”
Lester has a criminal history, which reportedly includes drug and assault-related incidents.
She is being held without bail at the Salt Lake County Jail.
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