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Tennessee judge finds woman guilty in deaths of 4 children

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MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WTVF) — A Tennessee judge has found a woman guilty of stabbing four of her children to death in 2016.

Criminal Court Judge James Lammey Jr. rejected Shanynthia Gardner’s insanity defense in the deaths of the children, who ranged in age from 4 years to 5 months. Another child, who was 7 at the time, escaped to a neighbor’s home for help, the Shelby County district attorney’s office said.

Lammey, who heard the case in a nonjury trial last week, ruled Tuesday that Gardner could appreciate the wrongfulness of her actions, the prosecutor’s office said in a news release.

Gardner remains in custody and is to be sentenced Jan. 28 on four counts of first-degree murder as well as abuse, neglect and endangerment counts.