Life for ‘house of horrors’ mother

Declaring a “house of horrors” closed, a judge sentenced a Detroit mother to life in prison for killing two of her four children and for storing their bodies for years in a home freezer.

Mitchelle Blair was charged, convicted and sentenced within four months, since March, when a shocked eviction crew discovered the children’s bodies. She pleaded guilty, in June, to first-degree murder, insisting she’d take the death penalty if Michigan had it.

“You imposed the death penalty on your own children,” Judge Dana Hathaway said.

“I did,” Blair, 36, replied.

Blair killed her 13-year-old daughter, Stoni, in 2013, and nine-year-old son, Stephen, in 2012. She claims they had sexually abused a sibling, though she didn’t witness the alleged assaults and never reported anything to police.

Prosecutor Carin Goldfarb said there was no evidence of sexual assault.

Blair poured scalding water on the victims, beat them with sticks and put rubbish bags over their heads.

“As a mother, one of your primary responsibilities was to protect your kids,” the judge said. “And, in that respect, you failed in the worst possible way... Thankfully, that house of horrors that you created is no longer in existence.”

Before receiving the mandatory, no-parole sentence, Blair spent several minutes criticising the fathers of her children, for not playing much of a role. Defence attorney Wyatt Harris said Blair was abused as a child, had little education and then had her own children.

“I’m not making an excuse, but it didn’t allow her to cope with the situation,” Harris said.

Friends and neighbours said they didn’t know there was trouble in the home and rarely saw Blair’s four children. Two surviving children, ages 17 and 8, have been placed with an aunt.

Blair has expressed no remorse and refers to the dead children as “demons.”

“I haven’t lied about anything,” she told the judge yesterday. “As horrendous as everybody think I am — that’s fine.”