The Misery Machine - Mother of 7 Stabs Kids & Sets Home On Fire

Starting point is 00:00:00 A woman is behind bars facing charges for the incident authorities call a domestic disturbance and house fire. Paulding County investigators received a call about a fire at Brister's home on Windwood Drive late Friday. A small memorial is growing just down the driveway from this home. We're told several children jumped out of the second story window to escape. Today's story takes place in Georgia, a state in the southernmost region of the United States that's bordered by the Atlantic Ocean. Georgia is known for its peaches and its southern hospitality, but unfortunately, this case isn't about Southern Charm or Sweet Tea. On Friday, June 24, 2022, at 9.19 p.m., authorities were called to a home at 776 Woodwind Drive in Rockmart, Georgia, which is a town about 50 miles northwest of Atlanta. The call was made after a neighbor in the Sunset Mountain subdivision called 911 to report a domestic disturbance, as well as the fact that,

Starting point is 00:01:02 that the suburban two-story home was engulfed in flames. Inside, 40-year-old mother, Darlene Nicole Brister, was alone with her seven kids, ages nine months old to 16 years old. Darlene's husband, Ricky, had just returned home from an out-of-state trip as the scene unfolded, and immediately jumped out of his car, yelling for his family. Losing one's home, belongings, and possible pets to a housefire is always unbelievably tragic. But this wasn't a normal house fire caused by, faulty wiring, properly disposed smoking materials, or even a cooking mishap.

Starting point is 00:01:38 This was an arson, and the assailant was the mother of seven, Darlene Brister. Darlene had set the fire herself, and even more horrendous than that, she was in a complete homicidal frenzy, stabbing everyone around her that she could find, including her own kids. The fire was extinguished after deputies arrived, but what unraveled next was complete chaos. Five of the seven Brister kids has sustained stab wounds, some of them were pretty grievous. The two youngest, nine-month-old Devante and three-year-old Donovan died at the scene as a result of their wounds, which included punctures and burns. A third little boy named Devin, who was only five years old, succumbed to his wounds after being airlifted to Grady Hospital, with burns

Starting point is 00:02:25 covering 75% of his body. Two others, ages 9 and 11, were also treated at a local hospital. The nine-year-old named Dante was in critical condition but was expected to survive. The two oldest bristers, ages 14 and 16, were in reasonable shape all things considered. The two actually escaped the melee by jumping out of a second-story window. Some new sources have claimed that the 11-year-old escaped from the window as well, and others at the scene claim that they injured their ankles when they jumped. It should be noted that the 11, 14, and 16-year-old's names were not made public. According to neighbor Willie Hayes, quote,

Starting point is 00:03:02 I walked out the door and could see the fire in the house. They bring the kids out dead and she's still alive, unhurt, hiding in the house. It's pitiful, end quote. Darling Brister was located on the property and arrested soon after. She was booked into the Paulding County Detention Center on two counts of malice homicide, a charge unique to the Georgia criminal justice system. Title 16 Chapter 5 Article 1 of the 2020 Georgia Code defines this as, quote, express malice is that deliberate intention unlawfully to take the life of another human being,

Starting point is 00:03:39 which is manifested by external circumstances capable of proof. Malice shall be implied where no considerable provocation appears and where all the circumstances of the killing show an abandoned and malignant heart, end quote. Darlene appeared in court the following Monday morning dressed in a red striped jumpsuit. She was denied Bond and a judge explained that the two counts of malice homicide have to be reviewed by a superior court judge before Bond could be considered. The following day, a third count of malice homicide and an arson charge was added to her list of charges. Please note that Darlene has yet to be convicted of any crime. So until she is, all statements are alleged.

Starting point is 00:04:24 According to neighbor Edward Springer, who lives across the street, The Brister family lived in the neighborhood for years with no problems, adding, quote, they stay to their self, kids come outside to play. They were very good, very respectful. I just don't understand it. I just don't understand it. End quote. Darlene herself was described as quiet and pleasant,

Starting point is 00:04:45 and many of her neighbors were in shock and disbelief that something so horrific could have occurred in their quiet corner of the peach state. A go-fund me was started in order to assist the Brister family with funeral expenses, as well as living. expenses and basic necessities. As at the time of this recording, the family was rendered homeless due to the fire, and they were living out of a hotel. The fundraiser raised $9,111 before it stopped receiving donations. A second raised $1,075. On July 16th, a benefit ride sponsored by the 101 Backwood Riders United was held for the Brister family, which included fish plates that were on sale to the general public. When it comes to cases of a mother killing her kids, the question we are most frequently asked is if mental health is a factor, specifically that of postpartum psychosis.

Starting point is 00:05:38 Postpartum psychosis is rare, and for the majority of cases, an episode tends to take place within days to weeks after birth. Now, Darlene's youngest was nine months old, and while this would put her outside of the typical time frame for postpartum psychosis, there are documented cases where it had taken place by this time. As this case per case, Hopefully we will have more details on why this happened. And it's incredibly difficult to try and understand why a mother with so many kids would one day decide to allegedly set her house on fire and attempt to kill them all. Let us know in the comment section below what you think happened here, as well as possible factors that could be at play. In front of the family's home, which had been sectioned off with yellow police tape and gutted by the fire,

Starting point is 00:06:21 A small makeshift memorial of stuffed animals, flowers, and candles was assembled by neighbors and pastors by. Ricky Brister is still trying to process the loss and the actions of his wife of 17 years. The bereaved father explained that his wife had been struggling with her mental health and that they were in the process of trying to get her professional help. He went on to state, quote, I want people to know that Ricky Brister is a Christian and he loves his wife. There was no hate toward her. I'm definitely, definitely hurt by what she did, but I still have to move forward.

Starting point is 00:06:58 End quote. When asked if he could forgive his wife, Ricky stated, quote, she was forgiven already. She was already forgiven. I want people to love people like Christ love the church and forgive them, have an open heart and compassion. He continued, quote, I am a Christian man and I have Christian values. My message is a message of compassion for everybody. There's nothing else that's going to help us get past this, end quote. We also have a very wonderful group of people going that extra step to support us on Patreon.

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The Misery Machine - Mother of 7 Stabs Kids & Sets Home On Fire

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