A 27-year-old mother, Brittany Pilkington, will now spend her life in prison after she murdered her children because their father was giving them more attention than he was giving her.
According to Fox 6, the mom-of-four took the lives of her three sons, Niall, Gavin, and Noah, over the span of 13 months. The first boy passed away in July 2014, the second in April 2015, and the third of August 2015.
All three of Pilkington’s children died similarly, Fox 6 reports. Niall was only 3 months old when he stopped breathing and emergency responders were unable to resuscitate him in July 2014. Gavin was just 4 years old when he passed in April 2015, and Noah was also 3 months old when he died in August 2015.
People reports that the mom confessed to killing the three boys on the day Noah was found dead in August 2015. She told investigators that she took her sons’ lives because they were receiving more attention from their father than she was getting from him.
Pilkington, nearly five years after committing her crimes, pled guilty to two counts of murder and one count of involuntary manslaughter. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said of Pilkington’s decision to plead guilty:
“A guilty plea cannot undo the heartless acts this woman committed against defenseless children. She does not deserve to be called ‘Mom,’ but locking her up will at least guarantee she won’t be able to repeat this evil.”
On November 19, Pilkington was sentenced to “two consecutive life sentences for the murders and an additional seven years in prison for the involuntary manslaughter charge.” As Fox 6 reports, she initially faced the death penalty. However, the death penalty was taken off the table when a state expert said it “was not appropriate in this case due to the mental defects of the defendant.”
Those mental defects in question are due to lead ingestion as an infant, which caused Pilkington’s brain damage. The exposure to lead led to “developmental delays as well as emotional and anxiety issues.” Evidence also shows that Pilkington was sexually abused by her husband and the father of her four children.
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An extended family member who is currently caring for Pilkington’s daughter described how the little girl is coping with her mom not being around to WDTN, “She’s had to deal with a lifetime of heartache and fear. Recently when her fish died, she asked if she was going to be a bad mom when she grew up.”
Pilkington will be eligible for parole in 37 years. She has been in jail since 2015.