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A tragic and shocking case has unfolded in Minnesota, where a mother has been found guilty of committing heinous acts against her own children. Jennifer Marie Stately, 37, faced a federal jury that convicted her on charges including two counts of first-degree murder and one count of arson. The verdict came after a trial that extended over two and a half weeks.
The crimes occurred on March 15, 2024, in Stately’s residence located within Red Lake Nation, an Indian reservation approximately 270 miles north of Minneapolis. According to a press release from the US Attorney’s Office, Stately’s actions led to the tragic death of her two young sons.
In a heart-wrenching sequence of events, Stately fatally stabbed her eldest son, six-year-old Remi Stately. As if this was not devastating enough, she set the family home ablaze, leaving behind her five-year-old son, Tristan Stately, who succumbed to carbon monoxide poisoning amid the flames.
Following these horrific acts, Stately fled the scene with her surviving three-year-old child. An AMBER Alert was swiftly issued, and it was not long before a vigilant motorist spotted the pair approximately 150 miles south of Red Lake in Todd County.
The mother fled with her three-year-old, who has not been named, before authorities issued an AMBER alert and the pair were spotted by a motorist about 150 miles south of Red Lake in Todd County.
According to the press release, Stately had used gasoline and lighter fluid to ignite three separate fires in her house, including at both exits to the home, trapping Tristan inside.
After fleeing, she was missing for several hours before the AMBER alert was issued, but she was spotted within an hour of the abducted child notification going out.
A large response consisting of officers with the Minnesota State Patrol, the Todd County Sheriff’s Department and the Long Prairie Police Department responded to Stately’s location and arrested her.
Jennifer Marie Stately, 37, was convicted of murdering two of her children on Thursday
Stately fatally stabbed her six-year-old son, Remi Stately, on March 15, 2024, before setting her house on fire and fleeing with her youngest, three-year-old son
Five-year-old Tristan Stately died of carbon monoxide poisoning after his mother lit three fires in their house, including at both exits, trapping him inside
Court records reviewed by Law & Crime show that Stately’s youngest child was suffering from severe signs of abuse and neglect. The toddler smelled awful because he had not been changed or washed for days.
He also had sores on his face that were bleeding or scabbed over, and he had additional scabs all over the soles of his feet that made it impossible for him to stand due to the pain. He also had teeth so rotted that he could not eat properly.
Stately was booked into the Todd County Jail while awaiting trial, which began last month, almost two years after she committed the murders.
She pleaded not guilty to her charges, which comprised two counts of first-degree premeditated murder, two counts of murder in the course of committing child abuse, one count of murder in the course of committing arson and one count of arson.
Her lawyers attempted to use an insanity defense, but jurors rejected that argument. Stately’s sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled, but she is facing capital punishment or life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Prosecutors in Todd County opted to dismiss several state child abuse and neglect charges that the mother was already facing, so she could be tried in federal court.
Tristan and Remi are pictured together with a couple of Xbox controllers. Their youngest brother, who has not been named, stands just outside the frame. He was suffering from signs of major neglect and abuse when police found him
In the press release from the US Attorney’s Office, Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Superintendent Drew Evans said: ‘We all witnessed the devastating aftermath of Jennifer Stately’s horrific and unthinkable actions that night.
‘We hope that holding her accountable for her crimes will provide some sense of justice for the family and the entire Red Lake community who are forever impacted by the loss of these two young boys.’
In Remi’s obituary, he was described as ‘a smart, funny, loving little boy who loved to play with his brothers’ and who ‘loved Jessie from Toy Story and Molly from Bubble Guppies.’
Tristan’s obituary described him as ‘an outgoing, spirited little boy who loved playing with his brothers,’ and said: ‘He loved anything “Sonic” and was protector of his brothers, even though he was the middle child.’