Whisper
#byefelicia
4 Boys Killed; Wounded Mother Is Suspect
October 28, 1997
Death sentence upheld for woman who killed 4 sons
dec 19 2011
Court Docs
http://www.courts.ca.gov/documents/2-s082915-respondent-brief.pdf
October 28, 1997
http://articles.latimes.com/1997/oct/28/news/mn-47552SAN MARCOS — A 33-year-old mother stands accused of the unthinkable crime of murdering her four sons in a grisly scene that shocked even sheriff's deputies who have grown accustomed to violence.
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Susan Diane Eubanks, whose life was beset with marital problems, debts and violence from her estranged husband, may be arraigned today in her hospital bed, where she is recuperating from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the abdomen, officials said
The case began to unfold Sunday afternoon when sheriff's deputies were called to a rented home in a working-class section of this rural community 40 miles north of San Diego to mediate a dispute between Eubanks and her new boyfriend.
Several hours later, deputies returned after being alerted by Eubanks' estranged husband that something may have gone dreadfully wrong at the family home. They forced their way into the two-bedroom house, which sits on a lot populated by chickens, dogs and horses. Deputies were shocked at what they found inside.
Three of Eubanks' sons--ages 6, 7 and 14--were dead from gunshot wounds to the head, apparently inflicted by their distraught mother. A fourth son was clinging to life. And Eubanks was in a back bedroom, her bleeding body beside a .38-caliber pistol.
Officials said they found no suicide notes or illegal drugs in the home and no indication that the boys had sought to flee. Still, they are convinced that the incident was an intended murder-suicide, with no other suspects than Eubanks.
"We know what happened; we just don't know why," said sheriff's Sgt. Steve Wood.
Found dead inside the home from gunshots inflicted at close range were Brigham Eubanks, 6, Austin Eubanks, 7, and Brandon Armstrong, 14.
Matthew Eubanks, 4, was taken by helicopter to Children's Hospital in San Diego, where he was immediately placed on life support systems. He died at 4:30 p.m. Monday shortly after his father arrived at the hospital. The child's organs may be used for transplant, hospital officials said.
A fifth child in the home, a 5-year-old cousin of the slain boys, was not injured.
Eubanks' trouble-filled life was seemingly spinning out of control in recent weeks.
Desperate and afraid for her life, Eubanks had gone to court last month seeking to escape from a marriage filled with allegations that her husband physically abused her, threatened to kill her and was given to alcoholic rages. Eubanks pleaded with the judge to keep her husband away from her and their sons.
Like many a woman newly separated from her husband, Eubanks immediately had severe money problems, including $40,000 owed on her credit cards. But last week, she was ordered by a separate court to pay $341 a month to support a 14-year-old son from a previous marriage.
And then on Sunday afternoon, a new relationship crumbled as she and her new boyfriend quarreled and he gathered up his belongings.
Eubanks had recently filed for divorce from her husband of nine years, Eric Dale Eubanks, 37, a cabinetmaker and Pop Warner football coach. She cited his alleged continued erratic behavior, drinking and physical threats
Susan Eubanks also was convicted of drunk driving in 1996 after nearly ramming a sheriff's car at 2 a.m. A blood-alcohol test showed that she had more than twice the legal limit in her system.
Eubanks had alleged that her husband accused her of infidelity, threatened to kill her and suggested that she kill herself. Eric Eubanks was convicted in June of misdemeanor spousal battery after a scuffle at the home.
He was given probation on the condition that he undergo domestic violence and alcoholism counseling. Court documents indicate that he refused to attend the alcoholism counseling and that he insisted to counselors that he did not have a drinking problem. An arrest warrant was issued for him after he refused to attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. He had also recently been arrested on suspicion of drunk driving.
"There was always trouble up there," said one neighbor. Others said the family kept their distance and declined to socialize.
Sheriff's deputies, who had made frequent trips to the house, responded to a call Sunday from Eric Eubanks, who had received an ominous "farewell" message on his pager. Surrounding the home, deputies heard Susan Eubanks calling for help.
Deputies found two of the boys in a bedroom and two others in the living room. Eubanks was found in a second bedroom.
Eric Eubanks and his estranged wife's boyfriend, whose name was not released, had apparently gone to a bar to "cool off" after the argument between Susan Eubanks and the boyfriend, officials said. Neither man is considered a suspect.
In one document relating to the divorce, Susan Eubanks wrote: "I returned to my home after spending the night with a friend and found that my husband had torn up my clothes and written the word D-I-V-O-R-C-E in large letters in nail polish on the bathroom mirror."
Susan Diane Eubanks
Death sentence upheld for woman who killed 4 sons
dec 19 2011
http://www.fox5sandiego.com/news/ks...an-who-killed-4-sons-20111219,0,6327063.storySAN DIEGO -- A San Marcos woman who shot and killed her four children failed Monday to win a reprieve from the California Supreme Court, which voted unanimously to uphold her death penalty.
In a ruling written by Justice Ming W. Chin, the state's highest court rejected an automatic appeal by Susan Dianne Eubanks, who was convicted of murdering her sons Brandon, 14; Austin, 7; Brigham, 6; and Matthew, 4, in October 1997.
After drinking and taking tranquilizers, Eubanks put a revolver to the temple of Brandon, her eldest son, and shot him, according to the court's opinion. She fired another shot into his neck from a few inches away. She shot her younger three boys in their bedroom.
Before shooting herself in the abdomen, Eubanks left several notes, including an instruction that she be buried in the same casket with her youngest son. Detectives found the notes in the San Marcus home shortly after the bloodshed.
Evidence presented at her trial showed that Eubanks had become addicted to prescription drugs after suffering a workplace injury. She had lost her job, and she and her husband were having marital problems.
The court said her oldest son had telephoned the mother of his best friend for help before he was killed. The woman told him to reassess the situation and call back if necessary.
Eubanks challenged her death sentence on several grounds, including the fact that the trial court admitted evidence during the penalty phase that she had once smeared her nephew’s face with feces. The court said the evidence was proper because it was intended to rebut claims that she had been a good mother
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Susan Eubanks
http://www.courts.ca.gov/documents/2-s082915-respondent-brief.pdf