Mother who killed her 3 daughters is sentenced to 18 years in jail
A mother who smothered her three infant daughters while they slept has been sentenced to eighteen years in prison. Lauren Dickason, 41, was convicted in August of last year for the September 16, 2021, murders of her two-year-old twin children, Maya and Karla, and their six-year-old sister, Lianè, at their Timaru, New Zealand, home. Dickason used pillows to suffocate her children after initially attempting to kill them with zip ties. After that, she tried to kill herself while hiding them under the covers in their beds.
She admitted to killing the girls but pleaded not guilty to murder, arguing she was experiencing post-partum depression and was mentally disturbed at the time.
The judge ruled Dickason will spend 18 years – six for each daughter – detained in a mental health facility with no minimum term of imprisonment.
Justice Cameron Mander told the court that a life imprisonment with a minimum parole period of 17 years or more would be too unjust, the NZ Herald reports.
He sentenced her to three determinate sentences of 18 years to be served concurrently and did not set a minimum term of imprisonment.
Judge Mander also ruled that Dickason would be detained at a mental health facility for compulsory treatment until she is mentally well to be transferred to prison.
She said: “I loved Liané, Maya and Karla with all my heart. No apology will ever be enough, and words will seem hollow to many.
“I want people to know our girls brought me so much joy and were the centre of my world. I am horrified by my actions, and the pain, distress and trauma I have caused everyone who loved them. Like many others, I miss them every single day.”
Dickason, a former doctor, said she wanted people to know about the risks of post-partum depression and that she was dedicated to improving her mental health.
She added: “We urge other families to look for and act on unhealthy signs. We urge women experiencing the symptoms of post-partum depression to tell the ones they love.
“This pain and heartbreak cannot happen to any other families.”
Judge Mander said Dickason had struggled with poor mental health for most of her life and was diagnosed with a major depressive disorder in her teens.
Her mental state worsened following the births of her daughters and she began seeing a psychiatrist for treatment for post-natal depression.
Dickason began experiencing intrusive thoughts of harming her children in the months leading up to the triple-murder, Judge Mander said.