NY Mom’s Final Words Before Fatal Plunge That Killed 3 Children: ‘I Made a Terrible Mistake’ and ‘Forgive Me’
- Posted on April 14, 2011 at 9:56pm by
Emily Esfahani Smith
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NEWBURGH, N.Y. (AP/THE BLAZE) — A suicidal mother who loaded her four children into a minivan and drove off a boat ramp into the frigid Hudson River changed her mind as the van sank and cried, “I made a mistake, I made a terrible mistake,” said her 10-year-old son, who survived by crawling out a window and swimming ashore.
Lashanda Armstrong had warned in a cryptic Facebook message just before the fatal plunge: “I‘m so sorry everyone forgive me please for what I’m gonna do…. This Is It!!!!”
Her 10-year-old son, the only survivor as his mother and three siblings drowned, says she had told the children, “You’re all going to die with me,” but then tried, too late, to back out of the river, according to a woman who found the sopping wet boy.
Meave Ryan was driving past the boat ramp in Newburgh, about 60 miles north of New York City, on Tuesday evening when she spotted the boy, La’Shaun Armstrong, waving his arms.
Ryan said the boy told her that his mother had had a “big, big argument about my stepdad’s cheating on her,” then piled the four children in the minivan and sped into the river.
NBC’s video report features interviews with Armstrong’s siblings, who say that their sister had been acting very strange in the lead-up to this tragedy:
Ryan told The Associated Press on Thursday that La’Shaun said Armstrong had held him and the other kids – boys ages 5 and 2 and an 11-month-old girl – as the minivan began sinking.
“She was holding on to all of them and said, `If I’m going to die, you’re all going to die with me,’” Ryan said. “She said that two or three times.”
But as the vehicle sank, La‘Shaun broke free of his mother’s grasp and clambered out a window.
Ryan said: “While he was doing that, he heard his mother saying, `I made a mistake, I made a terrible mistake.’ And she tried to reverse the car out, but at that time it was too late. He said, `Mommy, I’m going to go get help,’ and she said, `OK.’ And that was the last he heard from his mother.”
Ryan drove the boy to a nearby fire station. Rescuers immediately went to the river, but it was too late: They found the van about 25 yards from shore in 8 feet of water. Lashanda Armstrong and three children were dead.
Ryan’s account conforms to reports from police, who say Armstrong was involved in a domestic incident at her apartment Tuesday evening and within minutes had plunged off a boat ramp into the river just a half-mile from her apartment in a hard-luck section of the city.
The Facebook message, posted from Armstrong’s BlackBerry, was obtained by MidHudsonNews.com. It posted on her page at 7:13 p.m. Tuesday, about a half-hour before she drove into the river.
“I don‘t know if we’ll ever find out what Lashanda Armstrong was thinking when she left that home and drove to the river,” Newburgh police Chief Michael Ferrara said.
Lt. Bruce Campbell said police had heard from at least two witnesses who said they saw a minivan speed through an intersection at the boat launch’s entrance fast enough that the vehicle appeared to bottom out on the bumpy pavement.
“She went through it at a pretty good pace,” Campbell said.
The witnesses, motorists who had stopped at a stop sign, “just thought it was kids driving fast or acting up,” he said. They apparently didn’t see what happened next, he said.
Campbell said police believe Armstrong hit the water going 15 to 20 mph. There was no substantial damage to the vehicle’s front end, and the airbags didn’t deploy, he said.
A stream of people went to the boat ramp Thursday, and friends and neighbors gathered to try to process the tragedy.
Ashonti George, 21, laid a red rose on the doorway to Armstrong’s apartment Thursday morning. The two women were in the same math class at Orange County Community College. George, of Newburgh, said that Armstrong usually was an attentive student but wasn’t herself during a Tuesday morning test.
“She was off,” George said. “She didn’t seem like herself. She seemed angry – off. That’s the best way I can explain it.”
People lit candles near the spot where the van entered the water. Natasha Colon and Nicole Callahan, both mothers from Newburgh, were among the mourners.
“I just wanted to say a prayer for them and for the boy who’s going to go through a lot,” Colon said.
Callahan added: “They were innocent babies.”
Jay Vandervort, a Newburgh resident who said he was a friend of Armstrong’s, also stopped by the boat ramp. He said he last saw her about a month ago.
“She just seemed happy-go-lucky, like everything’s good,” he said.
A few dozen people gathered on the landing Thursday evening next to the makeshift shrine to offer up prayers for the family and toss handfuls of symbolically cleansing salt into the river.
Armstrong’s aunt had called police at about 7:45 p.m. Tuesday to report a domestic incident at her niece’s apartment. By the time police got there, she was gone. Besides Armstrong, Landen Pierre, 5, Lance Pierre, 2, and 11-month-old Laianna Pierre died.
Earlier that day, Armstrong appeared stressed when she picked up the children at the Young and Unique Christian Development Child Care, said Shaniesha Strange, supervisor in the infant room.
Police questioned the man they identified as the father of the three dead children, Jean Pierre, but did not give details. He apparently didn’t live with the mother and children and could not immediately be located for comment.
Police on Thursday confirmed that Pierre was charged with child endangerment in February when a boy who died in the minivan was found wandering the streets half-naked after 1 a.m. No further details were released by police, and the status of the case was not immediately available.
Hetty Minatee, another teacher at the day care center, said Armstrong had enrolled the four children there in September. At first, Jean Pierre would come in with Armstrong and sometimes would pick up the kids.
“A couple weeks ago, she came in a little upset,” Minatee said. “She said, `Miss Minatee, I don’t want the father to pick the kids up or have any contact with them.’ She said she was trying to get a court order so he could never see the kids again.”
La’Shaun is staying with the aunt, Angela Gilliam. He’s “doing fine,” Gilliam said.
“She was a good mother. She was going through some stuff,” Gilliam said of her niece. “Nobody knows what my niece went through.”
She would not elaborate.
The boy told Ryan that Armstrong made a cellphone call to her mother as she sped toward the water, asking for forgiveness.
Ryan said La’Shaun blames himself for never teaching his siblings how to swim.
Ryan said she kissed him on the head before she left and told him, “You’re in my prayers.”
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Comments (92)
West/Paul/Cain 2012
Posted on April 14, 2011 at 11:17pmWow, my prayers go out to the young lad, may the spirit fill his soul with blessings ahead.
Report Post »Ronko
Posted on April 14, 2011 at 11:15pmA terrible tragedy why couldn’t she had left the kids on a street corner and plunged the van into the lake. Why did the other 4 children had to go with her, I don’t understand why she did that. She must have some form of mental problem or something of that nature because no normal person would’ve done that. I‘m glad the boy surivived and God protect him during the next couple of months or years because that kid’s life is going to be hard. It’s a shame that the other 3 kids and the mom had to die. The Mother realizing her folly and mistake probably saved her soul but this is just terrible. Suicide isn‘t the answer it’s the cheap way out.
“The Road to Hell is paved and is the easy way to travel in life but the Road to Heaven is a mountain, a journey that is incredibly hard but once you reach the top and you stay on the right path you will be accepted into God’s kingdom willingly and your soul will be purified”.
Report Post »SIHKS1120
Posted on April 14, 2011 at 11:07pmits just like the liberals over at the today show to make it seem like she was crying out for help when in fact she was a loonie bin ready to blow !!! if she where white the story would have been different !!! sucks for the kids!!!
Report Post »thebarbarian
Posted on April 14, 2011 at 11:05pmplease step back for a second. There are 2 things going on here that most people can’t understand unless in those. shoes. the first is the fear and ensueing stress that she lived in. the second is that the fear may have been from some psychological imbalance. her age and symptoms could point to paranoid schizophrenia.
Report Post »iether way we are’nt in a position to judge here. lets do the one thing that we can. lets pray for the son and the remander of the family. they could really use it now. please now is the time for love and understanding, and not the time for judgeing. thanks
BruceB
Posted on April 14, 2011 at 11:04pmWell the Blacks have finally reached equality with the whites. Usually it’s someone white who pulls a stupid stunt like this.
Report Post »elfmusic
Posted on April 14, 2011 at 11:04pmYou never know what it’s like. You can‘t feel another person’s emotions. Regardless of how similar you think a feeling is there is no way that you could possibly ever know what a person is going through. You’re different people.
It doesn’t make it okay. It was wrong. But there is no way that anybody could adequately judge her for it, good or bad. What about the part that said that little boy was found half-naked? What do you think happened to him? It’s possible that this mother was trying to save her children as well. She obviously cared for them, she told Minatee that she didn’t want the father to have any contact. So how could you think it’s all selfish? It might have been. I don’t know, but neither do you people. Isn’t it possible that she thought her children would be happier, safer, in the arms of God? Where do you people go off judging her? Do you know what it feels like to be trapped? To have absolutely no way to protect the one’s you love?
I’m not sure what I believe on this subject. And I’m not sure what God will decide he thinks, but I know without a shadow of a doubt that he will take what she was feeling and thinking into consideration. If He didn’t do that, then wouldn’t we all be doomed? I’m pretty sure that He loves us. What would a loving father do?
Please forgive me for being obsessive. Hope I haven’t annoyed anyone . . . too much.
Report Post »psycodad36
Posted on April 14, 2011 at 10:52pmsad, this is about thirty miles from me,it’s been major local news,first thought was (sad) then i remembe the community,then prayers for all of them,tortured soul with 4 children,prayers.
Report Post »Marylou7
Posted on April 14, 2011 at 10:39pmSomething really bad must have happened to this woman and/or her children. Mothers don’t just do this. La’Shaun is in my prayers. God knows exactly what happened so I’ll leave the judging to Him. My heart hurts for them all.
Report Post »DeepSouthernMan
Posted on April 14, 2011 at 10:37pmThis was demonic…
Report Post »SpankDaMonkey
Posted on April 14, 2011 at 10:34pm.
Report Post »What goes thru ones mind? That poor child will have night mares for years to come. Please pray for his soul, and the souls of his siblings…………….
AmericanStrega
Posted on April 14, 2011 at 10:32pmIslesfordian: My Mother has had clinical depression her entire life. She is now in her 80′s and has been on meds to correct this problem for the past 25 years. The years of “abuse” I received from her most of my life was horrible. I hated her for the things she did to me. However, I now understand that the cause of all the misery was due to a disease, plus my father didn’t help matters, since he treated her like crap. I guess what I’m trying to say to you is, forgive your Mother for her “black” periods and be thankful they were just “periods” and it wasn’t a constant. I hope you can take her repentance and believe, if she would have been treated for her illness, that she would have loved you and charished you as her child. Depression is a horrible disease. I hope you have let go of the guilt and only think good thoughts and love towards you Mother. God Bless.
Report Post »Exrepublisheep
Posted on April 14, 2011 at 10:41pm*Americanstrega* As I am not knowledgeable as to your personal historyI can‘t say much about it except I’m sorry you went thru it. My youngest bro has it to but we could always overpower him when the top or the bottom were in charge. For a child to suffer because of a parents illness is much worse than my situation is. So God Bless you too.
Report Post »Islesfordian
Posted on April 14, 2011 at 10:43pmI always forgave my mother. I also helped her get through some of her black periods. And blackness was not her whole life, though I know it always tormented her at the edges. She knew God and wrestled with her pain and God took a lot of it away. Eventually he healed her completely in one of his strange ways. She had a stroke which changed her personality. She became more peaceful than I ever knew her to be. Her brain could no longer deal with issues complex enough that would cause her to worry and stress. Depression comes from thinking too much. She truly lived for the day. She was not the same Mother I knew but I was glad she was happy.
Report Post »Exrepublisheep
Posted on April 14, 2011 at 10:23pmSadness
Report Post »shotzie
Posted on April 14, 2011 at 10:20pmIt’s hard know how to comment about this. It’s clear from her age, her children’s ages, no dad, and other items that this family was in trouble. God is caring for the children now. It’s just so sad. Lord provide a strong, loving, good influence man or woman to raise this child who survived.
Report Post »cstcomputers
Posted on April 14, 2011 at 10:18pmSo sad. Taking a permanent solution to a temporary problem because they can’t see past today and have no beliefs other than in themselves… Poor kids too. So so sad…
Report Post »roostercogburn
Posted on April 14, 2011 at 10:17pmLiberalism will kill you if you let it.
Report Post »ClockKing
Posted on April 14, 2011 at 10:17pmDemonic possession maybe? God, help their souls.
Report Post »Freedom Keeper
Posted on April 14, 2011 at 10:14pmFirst of all, we need to all pray for her soul and her children and her family but, frankly, she’s a murderer. Seeing what she said at the end, i hope she repented, it was a terrible accident
Report Post »Islesfordian
Posted on April 14, 2011 at 10:36pmDoesn’t “I made a terrible mistake” indicate repentance to you?
Report Post »jedi.kep
Posted on April 14, 2011 at 10:13pmA woman who decides to kill her kids along with her clearly has a mental disorder. All you judgment fanatics need to get a grip.
Report Post »mrsmileyface
Posted on April 14, 2011 at 10:18pmWho’s judging? Only GOD has that final right.
Report Post »Islesfordian
Posted on April 14, 2011 at 10:33pmYou just did. “filthy soul” ring a bell? How clean is YOURS?
Report Post »GODSAMERICA
Posted on April 15, 2011 at 1:49amJust because she killed herself and her children does not mean that she had a mental disorder. It means that she either had a mental disorder, or was so spoiled growing up and as an adult living on welfare, being so conceited with herself, hating people, etc. By this I don’t mean that she had all of these, I am saying that it could have been anyone of these along with a number of possiblities.
Judge not lest you be judged.(Matthew 7:1) What this means is to love and forgive everyone because people well be judged according to the way that they judge. If someone shows love to others then God shows Love to them. Be wary of judging people in “righteousness” because of a “determination” of “knowing” what God means. If you think that someone judged another person then you should love that person instead of judging them. Another way that is meant by that first quote is that if you judge another person then God will judge you and when that happens there is not one person who can be judged righteous enough to make it, while if you judge the action that someone did then God will judge you by your actions which does give someone a chance. Judging others is not necessarily a sin of pride but also being taught wrong what and who God is and the one of the biggest is in following religion some people say things that sound or are judgemental without realizing it. This does include judging someone for judging someone else.
Report Post »mrsmileyface
Posted on April 15, 2011 at 9:45amI didnt make her soul FIlthy. Thats all on her. I just stating the obvious. Big question is why are you defending a murderer, and her FILTHY soul.
Report Post »Islesfordian
Posted on April 14, 2011 at 10:11pmMy mother had periods when her world would go black, and the guilt from it would just keep the downward spiral going. This resonates deeply with me. I pray she is with the Lord now. She repented at the end. That is a blessing.
Report Post »demint.disciple
Posted on April 15, 2011 at 8:27amSo whats the point ? Why are you one of GODS children now ? Whats the point ? Do whatever you want all of your life and at the very end just scream PLEASE GOD FORGIVE ME and all is forgotten, huh ? now you may come home Jesus says ?.. You always act like you know everything and that your word is where the buck stops.. I think you’re letting your chosen page photo go to your head… Aside from what you think, you are not ALWAYS right and everyone that you disagree with doesn’t need a helping dose of ilsefordian wisdom. I‘m tired as I’m sure alot of us are of your high and mighty attitude..
Report Post »RSKE BIZNES
Posted on April 15, 2011 at 9:03amYou think repentance for killing three innocent children is instant? I don’t think so.
Report Post »Rearden Steel
Posted on April 14, 2011 at 10:08pmI don’t think you can kill three of your children by drowning them and have anyone on this planet refer to you as “a good mother” like her aunt did.
Report Post »Islesfordian
Posted on April 14, 2011 at 10:14pmI can. I have known such moments of black depression take over my mother. Don‘t judge what you don’t know.
Report Post »Robert-CA
Posted on April 14, 2011 at 11:28pmShe was not a good mother , let’s be real .
Report Post »imreddog
Posted on April 15, 2011 at 1:46pmThis woman was an evil person, all wrapped up in herself. She was too interested in “getting even” to have any thought for her children. Evidently, even when it became apparent that she was going to die, her last thoughts were to kill her children. “If I’m going to die, you’re going to die with me”. What a dispicable person. Her last act on this earth was the murder of her children. I think that God will not like that.
Luke 17:2
Report Post »2 It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.
(KJV)
Two Party Scam
Posted on April 14, 2011 at 10:07pmDear God,
Please look after the surviving child!
Report Post »Wildblue3
Posted on April 14, 2011 at 10:06pmJust pray for our country that we can help someone when they are down so they don’t want to do this.
Report Post »alaskajohn
Posted on April 14, 2011 at 10:05pminsanity on display
Report Post »mrsmileyface
Posted on April 14, 2011 at 10:03pmHappy Mothers Day Lashaunda Armstrong. May GOD have mercy on your FILTHY soul.
Islesfordian
Posted on April 14, 2011 at 10:12pmMay God have mercy on YOU too.
Report Post »mrsmileyface
Posted on April 14, 2011 at 10:16pmGOD already has mercy on me, but thank you just the same.
Report Post »Lunar
Posted on April 14, 2011 at 10:26pmNo kidding, unless you killed yourself and took small children to the grave with you I don’t think your gonna have a huge pile to atone for.
Report Post »Islesfordian
Posted on April 14, 2011 at 10:32pmJudging another’s soul and presuming you are better than her is the sin of pride. That‘s actually more serious than murder in the Lord’s Book.
Report Post »Lunar
Posted on April 14, 2011 at 10:41pmISLESFORDIAN you presume to know a specific order to the lords though process. Whose overreaching his worldly bounds here I wonder… hmmm….
Report Post »Islesfordian
Posted on April 14, 2011 at 10:49pmWell, the Lord has revealed a few things in his Word. I pay attention to what he says.
Report Post »Concerned1
Posted on April 15, 2011 at 6:48am“Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.” ~Jesus Christ
Report Post »“It may well be that, in the sight of Heaven, you are more worthless and less fit to live than MILLIONS like this poor man’s child.” ~The Ghost of Christmas Present
DimmuBorgir
Posted on April 15, 2011 at 8:24amat least they’re not my color
stephenmarkovich
Posted on April 14, 2011 at 10:01pmPlease pray.
Report Post »Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on April 14, 2011 at 10:08pmTo La’shaun – do not blame yourself for not teaching them to swim. The mother alone will bear the responsibility in the judgment to come; he was able to escape and tell the horror of the event, so I hope others will not blame him in any way, for he did what he could and will live.
Report Post »Cemoto78
Posted on April 14, 2011 at 10:29pmHow does someone with four mouths to feed, apparently not working and going to school, afford a blackberry. Seems her priorities were a little messed up too. Sad and tragic incident to the innocent.
Lunar
Posted on April 14, 2011 at 10:36pmI really hope there isn’t a lineup like is sometimes depicted heading to the pearly gates. Would be a very interesting conversation between mom and kids. Further (if there is) I’d love to be in line after this.
Yeah shoplifted as a child erm, cursed gods name quite a few times… Lets see, nope didn’t post on FACEBOOK my intentions and then kill (almost) all my children. I‘m pretty damn certain our heavenly FATHER doesn’t want us killing our children for vengeance.
This was a selfish act by a woman who was jaded and wanted revenge on her husband and so she decided to get even by taking away all the kids. At the last moment by her own words it‘s obvious she figured out OH wait this is permanent and I don’t get to have a last laugh or anything, This is a terrible mistake.
Report Post »dealer@678
Posted on April 14, 2011 at 10:38pmI have mixed feelings with a story like this when someones last words are “forgive me ”. My best friend 35 years ago called me and said the same thing before he put a gun to his head. I choose not to judge BUT believe that God heard the plea of this woman and my friend
Report Post »Islesfordian
Posted on April 14, 2011 at 10:47pmDealer, God is Love and he is merciful. We should always remember that God is never looking for ways to condemn but is earnestly searching for ways to forgive. Give him a crack of repentance and he will open it wide enough to send all his grace through with a legion of angels.
Report Post »delhoghe
Posted on April 15, 2011 at 1:16amYesterday’s article said the 10 year old boy was let out before she drove the car into the river. Go figure.
Report Post »proudconservative
Posted on April 15, 2011 at 1:41amI in no way want to judge it does sound like the lady was very seriously distraught from the argument over her cheating husband and had very serious remorse but unfortunately was too late. My only observation here other than we should pray for her kids and her soul as well, is that the kids father who cheated on her is not totally innocent and may not be free of responsibility for what happened either. There can be serious unintended consequences for cheating and what is said in anger in an argument as well.
Report Post »I Love Section 8 Housing
Posted on April 15, 2011 at 1:56amBull. No one is to blame for these kid’s deaths except the mother. Anyone who would do this to children deserves to die choking on their own regret.
Report Post »grandmaof5
Posted on April 15, 2011 at 7:54amNothing and no one is worth taking your life or the life of your children, no matter how dark things seem at the time. Prayers go out to the families devastated by this tragedy and to that brave young man who was able to escape.
Report Post »demint.disciple
Posted on April 15, 2011 at 8:15am“She was holding on to all of them and said, `If I’m going to die, you’re all going to die with me,’” Ryan said. “She said that two or three times……….. Yeah but mommy do I get to say something about this ?
Report Post »It’s amamzing, I can’t believe something like this could happen.. those poor kids and the 10 year old boy what he is going to have to live thru now.. All over a man..
ME
Posted on April 15, 2011 at 9:16amnice article to bad its wasted on this crap, what would be wrong with just a video here?
Report Post »