Mom Murders Her Kids and Blames YouTube

Holy County 911, where's your emergency? 219, Bentwood Drive, Shepherd's Milk and Tucky E-40165. My neighbor just came up to my door and just passed out and I can't get her to wake up to. Okay, it's you breathing. She is. How old is she? I would say in her early 30s and now she's breathing that her kids are dying. Shepherd's Milk and Tucky, a small, quiet community just south of Louisville. A town where people know their neighbors and violent crime is rare. But in the fall of 2023, one mother's troubles were quietly mounting behind closed doors. Tiffany Lucas was 32 years old, raising her two sons, six-year-old Jaden and nine-year-old Maurice. Parents and relatives had begun to notice alarming changes in her behavior. On the morning of November 8, 2023, the fragile balance of single motherhood and mental health collapsed. Do we know what happened to him? I have no idea. We just found our neighbor, the woman, their mom just freaking out by yard. There's bloodsh*t all over the bed, there's a sh*t gun, there's two of them, they're both here to breathe in. There's two children. Yes, ma'am. And you cannot find a gunshower on him? I did not see a gunshower. It's a case in here now. And their mom is in our driveway, way down on the ground. The panic spills through the line. Two children fighting for their lives. You have police fire, any MS head in their way. Police will probably get their first, because they're the closest. Okay. Holy s*t. Goodbye. Are you okay? Is he awake? Where are they? They're breathing. They're just not responding to me at all. Okay. There's a lot of blood on them. A whole lot of blood. He doesn't have a bullet. One to this. All right, look. The older the two kids has one going through his right shoulder and actually, I just saw that. Okay. Okay. Come on, but hey, hey, stay with me. Come on. No, no, no, no. I'm here. What the f*ck? All right, that's okay. She conscious. She conscious. May I watch her name? Huh? I can't hear you. Tiffany. All right. Tiffany, I'm going to change these handcuffs out. Okay. Then I'm going to roll you over. I'm going to sit you up. All right. I'm going to pick your hands up so you can take these off. Do not struggle. Do you understand me? Okay. Now, once you're less than two, man, I'm going to take this arm. You're going to roll this direction, okay? You're going to sit up at the same time. You understand? One, two, three. Take this leg, fold it in, make that foot touch your knees. You know, just do the side. On the ground. Now, we're going to roll again this way, and I'm going to sit you up on your feet, okay? Ready? One, two, three. Have you taken anything? Have you been drinking? Then why can't you stand up? This is don't feel like it, huh? I don't feel right. I don't feel right. Vika. I guess we'll put her in my car. And when the MS gets down in there, then come over and check her. They get her upright, swap restraints, and try to move her toward a patrol car. She can barely stand. Her speech is faint. She was over here when I rolled up. I did not run down, and I did not ask her any questions. I changed that handcuffs, set her up, put her in my car. Why was she cuffed? Why was she cuffed? Because she admitted to someone that she shot her kids. We don't know who she is. Is she a dad? Or is she just a guy here at the pitch? She come over here and fell out in the driveway. Is why he's seen it? What's Christina got a statement from him? She got him and apparently she told him that she shot her kids. He went over and then seen them, and then came over here called. And this is Lisa's guy right here? Yeah. The gentleman in the green shirt and the female and the black pants and green shirt. Christina got a statement from me. I changed out the handcuffs, so we didn't have to worry about that. Got her off of her face, rolled over her butt, got her up, put her in my car. She was told she was with her. Yeah, she knew. The only thing she has said to me since that is all they still have. Inside the house, paramedics are fighting to save her two boys. Both are gravely wounded. How many's in here? Just one kid here. What's going on here? Are they both breathing still? One, the first bump in our room. The other one was still breathing. He was shot in the head. How did I shoot her? Like six and three, six and four. Oh, there's that small. Six. Oh my god. The children are rushed out the door toward waiting ambulances. 207. This is Bully County Squad 7. Inbound your facility with juvenile approximately seven to eight years old. Yes, we have regained a pulse at this time. We have a police escort. We are approximately 10 minutes out from your facility, regarding further. As the boys are transported to the hospital, detectives step inside the bedroom where it happened, and relay what they're seeing to officers outside. I haven't moved anything. There's four shell casings on the bed. Two on the bed, two on the floor. So she shot at least four times. By midday, Tiffany Lucas is loaded into a cruiser and driven to the sheriff's office. The case against her is already overwhelming. Still, her words are disjointed and unsettling. "Shut up on that ear." "You shot yourself in the ear." "What's here?" "I don't see anything." "There's nothing there." Okay, okay. We're going to take her back to the interview room. I got to go and turn it on, so we're going to wait till I get there. That way we can the viewer and just keep it on. Who ain't right? People are not right. Her comments continue to veer further from reality. He said, "Did you got your reason?" It means everything. You're f---ed up. You're sick. Yeah. Yeah, I'm absolutely anything. You know, there's several oils, and then we'll go from here. Can you tell us what your name is? Tiffany Lucas. Within hours, she will sit down in an interrogation room. Their detectives will press for answers, and what she tells them is even harder to comprehend. "I feel like I've been looking at the games, the stones, and everything, and manipulate my children, manipulate my mind." "Who is?" "All them games, the stones, and you know just everything." She fixates on video games and electronics, convinced they can take control of her family. "The games?" "Yeah, like PlayStation, all the games, the kids play." "Yeah." "And the kids play their minds, and they make it to your life." Later, investigators would testify that these outbursts were consistent with what she said from the start, that she had been, quote, "manipulated through Facebook, the internet, or Wi-Fi, into doing what she did." Detectives tried to steer her back to the crime at the center of it all, which she did to her children. "How old are your boys?" "Jaden's in my heart." "Well, I'm going to talk to you today about what happened earlier. But can you tell me a little bit about yourself, or where are you from, or where you grew up, or anything like that?" "I know it's crazy, but I know." "I know I look crazy, but I'm not crazy." "I don't think you look crazy. I'm just trying to -- if I'm going to talk to someone I'd rather know who they are, I can tell you a little bit about me." "I love my children." "You tell me a little bit about you." "Okay." "I love my children. I love my boys so much." "I know." "I wouldn't have hurt them." She insists she's a loving mother, but almost in the same breath, she blames outside forces for what she's done. "I did it. I was letting play the video games, and I wasn't like focusing on both two, you know, and they get that video game. and the YouTube and the kids, it's just messes their minds up. - Haven't you ever heard anything like that before? - I mean, yeah. - Like, I really feel like it is manipulating for children and they get into the children's homes and, you know, break the families up. That's what I feel. - I mean, you could be right. - I am right. - Yeah. - I know I'm right, and you do too. You do. - I mean. - You just know. - The stuff that's on the internet that you have access to now is-- - It's terrible. - It's terrible for the kids, and they need to stop. Like, my kids are beautiful angels, you know? - Were they missed by haven earlier? - No. - No. - No. - Do you-- - They're perfect. - They are. Do you know what happened to them today? Can you talk to me about that? - I just did. - Hmm? - I just did. - Her contradictions are stark. She claims deep devotion to her sons while blaming YouTube and video games for corrupting them. Relatives with later say child protective services had been called to the house before, warning signs that something was off. When pressed, Lucas introduces a name. - I feel like someone tried to manipulate me through my phone, you know, manipulate me through my house, doing stuff to me. - What are they doing to you? - Manipulating my mind, Parker Borders. His name is Parker Borders. - What about him? - He lives in Bardstown, and I'm pretty-- shows he's manipulated my mind for like three years. - Really? - Through my phone, putting up things in my house, like real, evil, dark, weird stuff, like trying to-- - Am I trying to get you to do things? - Yeah, like, all to my mind, like, completely, like, flip me, like, I'm a woman of God, I don't do-- - Yeah. - I don't, you know, hit her, your children, you protect them, and I feel like, I have to protect my children. - Right. - I'm like, you know, I love my kids. - I know you do. - I would never do it to my sister when someone manipulated me. - To Lucas, Parker Borders is the person who invaded her thoughts, flipped her mind, and left her unable to protect her children. - So do you think Parker actually manipulated you into hurting your kids? Did he actually tell you in person? - No, but he controls my phone, all my bills are in his name, like, he could test too much access to the right house. So I feel like he manipulated my mind, you know? - I would never hurt my children. - Who is this Parker guy to you? Just a friend? - Like a chubby daddy type thing. Before I had a friend who was with him, and she mysteriously passed away in a car wreck. So I just feel uncomfortable, I don't know. I feel like it's him, it's not me, it's not me. I'm right with God, so I know it's not me, I know. - So not in my mind, it's not me, it's just this thing. - Did he provide you with a fire or with a gun? - Yes, it was his. - Investigators listening, no differently. A handgun was found on the bed next to her son's, and six shell casing scattered across the room. Surveillance audio from a doorbell camera had captured the sound of four gunshots. Neighbors had heard her screams immediately after. Every piece of evidence in that house pointed back to her. But in the interview room, she insists the gun belongs to someone else. - So that gun that was, I guess in the house and the bedroom or whatever, that's his gun? - Yes. Why did he give it to you? - I don't know. - How long ago did he give it to you, remember? Like, years, months, days, one? - No, no, no. - Don't remember? - Been a while. - Been a while? What do you remember him telling you and your mind to do or persuading you to do? - I don't, I just don't know. He just, you know, it's just happened once before. Like, I got like a weird feeling. Like, it is so weird. And then, he recently had to slow weird. I'm not like, I'm a good mom. Like, I'm a really good woman. I'm a good mother, you know? - Mm-hmm. - I have been years and everything. - I'm sorry? - I say, I have been years and everything. I don't look like this. - Okay. Do you remember, hurt me or something today? I mean, you, you remember you. But, I'm not saying it's you. - It's not me. - It's not you. - It's not. - It's not me. I would never hurt my children. - Right. - Her responses make little sense. Detectives try again. But she insists on her innocence. They document every contradiction. For them, the facts are already clear. But for Lucas, reality is a moving target. Always someone else's fault. Always a manipulation. - Manipulating. - Manipulating is the word best word. - They're the phones. - Why by all of that? - Now, once he manipulated you and pushed you into doing this, what do you remember firing a weapon at them today? I mean, do you remember that, right? No. You know how many times you shot? Let's pull the trigger today. No. Let me ask you this. After you hurt your sons with a gun, did you think they had passed away or do you think they was just moving would be okay? 'Cause they're both okay. They're both, neither one was passed away. But what did you think? Did you think you had killed them? - I just don't know. I have nowhere. - Now, you went next door to knock on the neighbor's door to get help, right? Okay. What was you, when you went over there, what were you going over there for just to ask for help? - Yes. - Okay. So, I'm guessing since you were going over there to ask for help, you had solved it. Your sons had been injured, right? When we were bleeding, you saw that, right? I mean, I know it's a hard thing to think about. And I know it wasn't you. I know it, that's not you. I mean, you're being manipulated, as you said. I understand that. But physically, you're going to pull the trigger, even though that's not you. And somebody else is pushing you to do that or manipulating you to do that, you pull the trigger on the weapon. Was that correct? It's not correct. Well, how did your sons get shot? - I don't know. - You don't know, huh? - I have no word. - How long after your voice got hurt? How long did it, was it, did you immediately go next door? Ask for help or did you wait for a while or what? But do you think it was an accident today or did you mean to shoot? - I just can't talk. - Hey, look at me for a second, please. How many times did you shoot each one of 'em? Multiple times, one time, two times, one. - I have no word. - Huh? - I had no word. - You don't know how many times you shot 'em? So I guess you did you just keep pulling the trigger until it was empty or what? - No. I just don't have anything to say right now. - Did anybody spend the night with you and your kids last night? Huh? Yes or no? Hey, I know you can hear me. - Yes or no? - I'm not sure. I don't know. I feel like he's been living in the house with me. I don't know. It's been so weird. - Yeah. - I'm trying to make him out of there. I don't know what is going on. - Detectives push harder trying to get a straight answer, but her responses stay slippery. Half admissions, half paranoia. She keeps circling back to Parker borders. - Parker. - Parker was in the house today. Hey. Answer. - I don't entirely know. - You don't know? - You don't know if he was in the house today? - No, I feel like he's been playing with my mind like coming into the house. - That's fine, but did you actually see him? Did he show up today into your house? Huh? Yes or no? Huh? Yes or no? No? - No. - There was anybody else in your house today other than you or your kids. - For investigators, the name is as much a mystery as her story. They don't know if he's a real person or just another figment of her unraveling mind. Interestingly, there is a person by that name in nearby Bardstown, documented in a 2020 obituary as a son named Parker Borders. That confirms the name is local, but nothing in court records, police reports or media coverage links him to this case. If Parker played a role here, public records offer no proof. The back and forth stalls, then shifts into a new line of questioning, whether she understands what has happened to her children. - Are you concerned about how your sons are doing? - Yes, I'm thinking about it, I'm okay. - They're both okay. (baby crying) (baby crying) - You're so scared. - What are you scared of? (baby crying) - Who'd be my children? - I'm sorry? (baby crying) Say it again. Losing what? - My children. - I'm okay. I know you say you're a good mom, I believe you. And you say you love 'em, and I believe you there too. I really, really do. But if you love 'em so much, I'm just what made you shoot 'em, you know? It's hard for me to understand. I wish I could hear you answer. Why? Do you think Parker manipulated you to the point? - Did he have you shoot your kids? - I know, ultimately, the mom that I am, the person that I am. I know God wouldn't do that to me, but I know people will do that. A system, and I just know what I know. That's all. And that's it. - It's clear that Tiffany Lucas is not well, and she's cognizant of that herself. She asked to be evaluated. She said to be the psych evaluation immediately. - Have you ever spoken to psychologists before? - Yes. - Hmm? - Yes. - Do you think they could? - I need a mental evaluation, right? - Do you think they would be able to help? - No, and I know the same, so I get a mental evaluation. - Do you think they would help you figure out? - Yes. - Why you shot 'em? - I didn't. - Who did it to him? - I told you. - No, you didn't. Who shot 'em if you didn't? Who shot 'em if you didn't, who did it? Tell me who did it. Hey, tell me who did it. - Can you just tell me who did so please? Can you just tell me to the mental? - We'll help you out there, but if you didn't do it, who did it? - We don't have anything else to say. - One five for the lower lip. Hello, P90. Thank you for coming. I'm P90. - Her words dissolve into prayer, a way to wall herself off from the detectives across the table. For several minutes, the room sits in silence, broken only by her murmured recitations. Then almost abruptly, she pivots back, her focus no longer on God, but on her boys. - Where am I home? - I can't hear you. - I can't hear you. - Where am I children? - Okay. They are at the hospital. - What is this? Let's hear it. Let's stay there, please. - Both of her civilized are in critical condition. - It's the last meaningful exchange of the interview. The detectives have heard all they need, her denials, her stories of manipulation, her prayers, and now her plea to know what became of her boys. The session ends not with a confession or clarity, but with two children fighting for their lives and a mother unable or unwilling to explain why she pulled the trigger. When the questioning ends, detectives escort Tiffany Lucas from the interview room and into the jail's chain of custody. Later that same day, both of her sons succumb to their injuries and die at the hospital. Lucas is booked into the Bullock County Detention Center, charged with two counts of murder. Her bond is set at $2 million. From that moment on, she would never walk free again. In custody, she waits for nearly a year as the legal process churns forward. Motions are filed, hearings are held, and her attorney signal they are preparing to argue insanity. But Lucas stays behind bars the entire time, her case inching toward trial. Almost a year after her arrest, Tiffany Lucas abandons the insanity defense her lawyers have floated and instead walks into a Bullock County courtroom to plead guilty. It's an open plea, no deal, no leniency. This puts her future entirely in the hands of the judge. That future was decided in November 2024 when the courthouse filled with family, neighbors, reporters, and much of Shepherd'sville, Kentucky. Relatives of Jaden and Maurice spoke about birthdays, never celebrated, milestones cut short, and the grief that now defined their families. Among those who took the stand was Jaden's grandmother. For her, this loss was almost unbearable. - You know, we love Jaden and Maurice. You'd have ripped our lives apart. And you know that you couldn't gain them keys to us. And we want to took care of you. But you have been selfish. My heart is in pieces. Every second of the day I heard, and I hope they give you two life sentence without the possibility of the wrong. I want you to suffer just like I'm suffering right now. They did not deserve that. And we all love you so much, Jaden and Maurice. I went back up and saying, she just knows she, she knows she don't rip us apart. - When Judge Rodney Burris delivered his ruling, he handed down the maximum. - Case number 23, CR-COR-4, coming up with Kentucky Burris' Tiffany Lucas, has count one, the court will judge the defendant, guilty of the offensive murder, and fix her sentence at life in prison. One, count two, the court will judge the defendant, guilty of the offensive murder, and fix her sentence at life in prison. This time the court will order that the Sheriff's Department will deliver the defendant to the custody of the corrections cabinet for service of her sentence of the imprisonment. That's all for today, for the meeting. - Thank you. (audience applauding) - She should have gotten more. Life is 20 years. So a 20 year should go up for parole. And 20 years, she'll be about 52. You just don't have kids at 52. Once again, I feel like they didn't get the justice they desired. - Even with a conviction and two life sentences, the scars remain. The echo of that November morning and the lives it took still ripple through the community. For Law and Crime Investigates, I'm Kristen Thorn.