MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A mother and her son are dead after police say a stabbing happened overnight in the 2000 block of Hubert Avenue in North Memphis Saturday.
Officers found five people, including a child, stabbed when they arrived around 12:40 a.m. MPD initially said there were four people involved but later upgraded the total number to five.
One person was pronounced dead on the scene. The child was taken to Le Bonheur Hospital and died from their injuries. The two victims who died were later identified as Pamela Isabell, 37, and her seven-year-old son AJ, according to family and detectives.
MPD said the other three victims, including another nine-year-old juvenile, were taken to the hospital in extremely critical condition.
Leaudre Isabell, 23, has been arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder and three counts of attempted first-degree murder.
Family and friends were visibly sad when they made it to the scene.
“How in the (expletive) you stab all those people like that,” one family member said. “And then you wait until they go to sleep?”
Memphis Police say Leaudre is Pamela’s brother. The motive for the attack remains under investigation.
“One of the people that’s in the hospital said he did it,” a family member said. “They said my family members are dead. He did it.”
Family members say Leaudre has battled mental health issues.
“He just got a problem. He just got a problem,” a family member said. “Everybody tried to help him. Everybody in the family tried to help taking him back and forth to work. Nope, don’t have to pay no rent.”
Jerry Starks lives next door to the family and is still shaken up by what he saw.
“I saw them pumping the chest of one of the kids trying to survive him, then I seen another kid come out,” Starks said. “He walked out, and I think he was stabbed also, but they put him on the stretcher.”
Marquiepta Odom is the executive director of YWCA Greater Memphis, a domestic violence shelter. She wonders if signs were missed leading up to stabbing.
“We have to watch signs,” Odom said. “Signs of anger, signs of their behavior being differently, signs of them being very aggressive. So there are tell-tell signs in most cases before someone just acts out.”
No bond has been set for Leaudre. He is expected to appear in court April 25.