Kara Alexander, 47, from Dagenham, East London, has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of her two young sons, Elijah (2) and Marley (5), whom she drowned in the bath before placing their bodies in bed for their father to find.
The devastating incident occurred in December 2022 and concluded in court on Friday at Kingston Crown Court.
Presiding Judge Mr. Justice Bennathan highlighted Alexander’s heavy use of super-strength cannabis known as “skunk,” which contributed to a psychotic state. He emphasized the case as a stark warning about the serious mental health effects of such drug use.
Elijah and Marley’s father, Selvin Thomas—who had separated from Alexander three months prior—discovered the bodies after going to check on them following a lack of contact. Alexander initially told him the boys were asleep, then slammed the door shut. He forced his way in and found them unresponsive in their bunk bed. Alexander had fled the scene through nearby gardens but was arrested about an hour later.
During the trial, Alexander claimed the deaths were accidental, saying she left the children unattended in the bath while she smoked cannabis. The jury rejected her version after nearly seven hours of deliberation, convicting her of two counts of murder. She had previously admitted to gross negligence manslaughter, which prosecutors did not accept.
In a heartbreaking victim impact statement, Mr. Thomas said: “Kara ensured maximum impact by engineering the situation so I would find Marley and Elijah dead in bed. I dedicated seven years of my life to a cold-hearted, selfish, and extremely stupid demon.”
The court also heard that Alexander had suffered a psychotic episode in 2016 and that friends were aware of her ongoing drug use. The judge called the murders a “shocking abuse of trust,” noting she had previously been a caring mother.
Emergency services were called on December 16 around 2 p.m., but the children had already been dead for hours. A recording of Mr. Thomas’ 999 call was played in court, capturing his anguish: “She killed my children… she slammed the door in my face… my children are dead. They’re both in the bottom bunk freezing cold.”
Medical evidence suggested the boys’ deaths were due to interference with breathing, either by drowning or smothering. The jury dismissed the defense’s claim of diminished responsibility due to temporary psychosis.
Prior to the tragedy, the boys had lived with both parents in Hackney, before moving with their mother to Dagenham after the couple’s separation.
