A mother who drowned her two young sons before dressing them in pyjamas and placing them in bed has been jailed for life with a minimum term of more than 21 years.
Kara Alexander, 47, killed five-year-old Marley Thomas and two-year-old Elijah at their home in Cornwallis Road, Dagenham, in December 2022. She was convicted of murder and sentenced today at Kingston Crown Court.
Sons found lifeless in bunk bed
The boys’ father had been due to collect them that weekend, but became increasingly concerned when Alexander failed to respond to his calls and messages. When he arrived at the house, she told him the children were sleeping upstairs. He went to check on them and found both boys lying dead in the lower bunk of their shared bed, dressed in pyjamas.
As he ran to raise the alarm, Alexander fled through neighbouring gardens. Police later launched a manhunt and tracked her down within the hour.
Claimed she fell asleep while they were in the bath
Alexander claimed during the trial that she had put the children in the bath and then accidentally fallen asleep. But prosecutors argued that the boys’ ages made accidental drowning implausible. A post-mortem confirmed they had died as a result of drowning or suffocation. The jury rejected her explanation and found her guilty of murder in February.
‘Unimaginable’ final moments
Sentencing her to life imprisonment with a minimum of 21 years and 252 days, Mr Justice Bennathan said there was no justification for the killings and called the case “heartbreaking”.
Samantha Yelland from the Crown Prosecution Service said: “It is unimaginable to think what those poor children went through in their final moments. It is a parent’s job to keep their children safe and Kara Alexander not only failed to do that, but robbed them of their lives.”
Investigation and impact on responders
Detective Chief Inspector Paul Waller, who led the investigation, said the case had deeply affected everyone involved, especially the children’s father.
“Our thoughts are with the family, especially the boys’ father who found them dead after Kara Alexander had failed to return his messages. No parent should ever have to go through such a horrific experience. This verdict won’t undo what happened, but it offers some measure of justice.”
First responders also faced an incredibly traumatic scene, arriving at the home to find the children had been dead for several hours. Police praised their professionalism in handling such an emotionally distressing situation.
