A North Texas mother allegedly shot her two sons in the head before turning a blade on herself, leaving both boys dead and the 42-year-old jailed on capital murder charges.
Ellis County Sheriff’s deputies found Colleen Lemmon drenched in blood inside a mobile home on Big Sky Drive in Waxahachie around 4 a.m. Thursday, according to an arrest affidavit. The 42-year-old had self-inflicted lacerations on her wrists and a handgun lay nearby, the document stated. She reportedly told the first officers through the door exactly what she had done.
“I shot both my kids,” Lemmon allegedly confessed to responding officers.
One victim, Christopher Pitre, 21, was pronounced dead at the scene. His younger brother, Brian Pitre, 15, was rushed to an area hospital in critical condition but later succumbed to his injuries, according to reports. The boys’ father, Scott Pitre, told NBC 5 that Brian had just celebrated his 15th birthday. He added that he wants justice for his sons.
Lemmon was arrested and charged with two counts of capital murder. She was booked into the Wayne McCollum Detention Center in Waxahachie. A motive for the alleged double murder remained unclear as of Friday.
The trailer sits in the 500 block of Big Sky Drive, a residential stretch in Waxahachie, roughly 30 miles south of Dallas. Deputies rushed there after the early morning emergency call, encountering a scene that would rattle even veteran officers.
Sheriff Brad Norman addressed the killings in a statement Friday, offering condolences to the shattered family.
“My deepest sympathies go out to the victims’ father, family members and loved ones involved in this tragic incident,” Norman said. “They will remain in our prayers during this difficult time.”
Word of the deaths spread quickly through the neighborhood, leaving residents struggling to process the violence that had unfolded doors away. Ida Brown, who lives nearby, spoke to FOX 4 about the weight of the tragedy.
“It’s heartbreaking, and I’m praying for them,” Brown said.
She continued, searching for meaning where none seemed available.
“I’m praying for God just to let me understand, you know. There is no understanding, I guess, but it just hurts, and I didn’t even know them and it hurts.”
The Ellis County Criminal Investigations Division is handling the ongoing probe. Lemmon remained in custody at the Wayne McCollum Detention Center as the case proceeds through the justice system.