Mother who drowned her 3 kids at Coney Island sentenced to 20 years to life - BERITAJA

A New York female was sentenced to 20 years to life successful situation for sidesplitting her 3 young children successful the water adjacent Coney Island’s boardwalk.

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced that Erin Merdy, 34, has been sentenced by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun for drowning her children – who were 3 months old, 4 years old, and 7 years aged – successful the water adjacent their location successful Coney Island successful a property merchandise from the agency of the District Attorney of Kings County.

“Zachary, Liliana and Oliver were guiltless children whose lives were taken successful the about heartbreaking and unthinkable way. No condemnation could afloat measurement the nonaccomplishment of a seven-year-old, a four-year-old and a three-month-old baby, aliases the condolences their loved ones will transportation forever,” Gonzalez said.

“We sought the strongest imaginable accountability successful this devastating case, and while thing could bring these children back, this condemnation ensures the suspect will beryllium held responsible for taking their lives.”

Merdy pleaded blameworthy to 3 counts of first-degree execution connected March 4, 2026.

Gonzalez said the frantic hunt for the 3 children began successful the early hours of Sept. 12, 2022, astatine about 12:37 a.m. section time, aft New York City constabulary received a telephone from Merdy’s relatives, concerned that she intended to harm her kids.

Officers first recovered the mother, barefoot and soaking wet, 3 kilometres down the boardwalk from the conception of Coney Island wherever she lived astatine about 1:25 a.m. section time. She many times said that the children were gone and that she was sorry, according to prosecutors.

Hours later, the bodies of the children were recovered from the shoreline of the Atlantic Ocean, steps from the boardwalk. They were pronounced dormant astatine Coney Island Hospital.

The metropolis aesculapian examiner’s agency ruled their deaths homicides by drowning.

Merdy was taken to the 60th Precinct for questioning and past brought to a Brooklyn infirmary for psychiatric evaluation, authorities said astatine the time.

By October 2022, Merdy had been indicted connected first-degree murder and related charges for the drowning her 3 children.

“These guiltless young children had their full lives up of them erstwhile their ain mother allegedly drowned and near them connected a Coney Island beach. This is simply a shocking and unspeakable crime, and pinch this prosecution, we will activity justice,” Gonzalez said astatine the time.

She was arraigned connected an indictment successful which she is charged pinch 3 counts of first-degree execution and 9 counts of second-degree murder.

—with files from The Associated Press