By The newspaper
Jan 31, 2024, 1:52 PM EST
After pleading guilty to suffocating her twin babies on Long Island (NY), Tenia Campbell was sentenced yesterday to 20 years to life in prison.
The woman, now 28, pleaded guilty in December to killing her 2-year-old twin daughters, Jasmine and Jaida Campbell, in 2019. The sentence had been anticipated as part of Campbell’s plea deal, she said. DailyNews.
“These two young lives were cut short by the one person who was supposed to love and protect them,” Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney said in a statement. “While the 20-year sentence here resolves this sad case, it will not bring these girls back.”
The double crime happened on the afternoon of June 27, 2019. At the time, Campbell was 24 years old, had a history of depression and anxiety, and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder as a teenager, said her mother, Vanessa McQueen. She also faced eviction from her Medford apartment, for which she had a hearing scheduled for July 10 of that year.
On the day of the double fatality, Campbell had suicidal thoughts while driving a minivan with her twin daughters to the east end of Long Island. He then stopped the car under a tree at the entrance to the Montauk County Park Third House Nature Center, he recalled. NBC News.
Campbell’s mother had called 911 to express concern for the twins, saying her daughter had threatened to kill them and herself. Authorities began a search that included local and state police, park rangers and the Coast Guard.
Campbell was connected to a call between her mother and authorities, but did not reveal her location. Signals from her cell phone were used to help locate the trio.
Approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes after Campbell’s mother first called, East Hampton Town Police officers saw the minivan and confirmed that the woman was there with the babies. She then got out of the car, walked to a nearby road and told an officer to “shoot him.”
“The officer approached the van and saw Campbell’s two-year-old twin daughters dead in their car seats,” the Suffolk County office said. “Campbell later admitted to smothering the girls to death.”
The county medical examiner concluded that the twins had died of “homicidal violence consistent with manual asphyxiation.” Campbell had his Facebook page full of photos of her children: the twins and a then 4-year-old boy born from a previous relationship, when he was a teenager.
Domestic violence is common in New York City and surrounding areas, between relatives, roommates and partners, even with minor victims. Every day in NYC, an average of 747 incidents of domestic violence are reported, including assaults, abuse, verbal abuse, and about 65 homicides annually.
This month, a Hispanic woman killed her daughters and her husband and then took her own life inside her home in Union, New Jersey, after receiving an eviction order, authorities reported.
If you are a victim or suspect that someone is being abused, especially if it is a minor or elderly:
I looked for help
- Call 911, 988 or (800)-942-6906.
- Text “WELL” to 65173.
- Review information at https://nycwell.cityofnewyork.us/es/ and www.988lineadevida.org