Felicia Chen
On Saturday, April twenty-seventh, 2013, a young mother exited a bus at the mile four checkpoint, walked her four small children into the sea at Belizean Beach and held three of them underwater until they were dead. For that terrible crime twenty-three year old Felicia Chen was this morning sentenced to eight years at the Belize Central Prison by Justice Troadio Gonzalez. Chen had originally been charged for murder but last week, with no objection from the prosecution, she pleaded guilty to three counts of the lesser charge of manslaughter. In trial, there was evidence from a leading psychiatrist that when she drowned her children, Chen was suffering from severe depression and had been the victim of physical and mental abuse. Mike Rudon was in court this morning for the sentencing and has the story.
Mike Rudon, Reporting
On May third, one year old Trinaya, three year old Thomas and four year old Triana were laid to rest, their lives snuffed out by what is being called a psychotic episode caused by severe depression. And this morning, another chapter in the tragic story of twenty-three year old Felicia Chen came to a close. There will be no happy ending or indeed any happiness for the young mother, or for any of the characters in this tale of tragedy, despair, mental illness and death. Last week, as she pleaded guilty to three counts of manslaughter, Felicia Chen told the court that she was a victim of physical and mental abuse, forced to turn to prostitution to provide for her children. Her attorney, Leslie Mendez, said her client hallucinated, and heard voices which told her to kill her children. She asked for leniency, and this morning, the court answered, sentencing Chen to eight years in prison.
Leslie Mendez, Attorney for Felicia Chen
“The factors that played a role in the sentencing were first that the judge mentioned the fact that she pleaded guilty to the three counts of manslaughter and had saved the courts some time. The other circumstances were what I had raised and her sister had raised – that she is a victim of domestic violence, the fact that her mental state was impaired at the time as she has been diagnosed with suffering from severe depression with psychotic symptoms, so that played a role in her sentencing, but also in the defence when it comes to diminished responsibility.”
Even though her defence was based on diminished responsibility as a result of her mental state and acute depression, and even though it is acknowledged that Chen must have suffered a severe psychotic episode to take the lives of her three children…the Court today ordered no further psychiatric monitoring or treatment…not even counselling.
Leslie Mendez
“The court hasn’t mentioned it but we will definitely monitor that.”
Reporter
“Who will monitor that?”
Leslie Mendez
Leslie Mendez
“We will be ensuring that she get psychiatric treatment from a psychiatrist. She has been, but it’s just a bit delayed for three months. She’s also seeing a counsellor and she’s also getting some treatment at the prison, so we would be ensuring that that is still going on during the time that she’s serving her sentence.”
There has been an ongoing expression of public sentiment in the case of Felicia Chen. There has been some compassion for the young mother in light of her story of chronic abuse and diagnosed depression, despair and diminished capacity. There has also been furious condemnation at the heinous crime which took the lives of three beautiful, innocent children. A sentence was handed down today…but was justice dispensed?
Reporter
“Would you say that justice has been served today?”
Leslie Mendez
“Yes I do believe that justice has been served today. We are very grateful to the courts for showing some leniency in these types of cases.”
Reporter
“Do you believe that justice has been served in regards to the three children that have been killed?”
Leslie Mendez
“I do believe that justice has been served here. To say that it is tragic is an understatement. But it is something that she will live with forever in her mind. She will forever feel guilty, as she has expressed. We can’t go back. We can’t go back.”
The fourth child, then six, managed to get away and run for help. While she escaped the fate of her siblings on that terrible day in April, 2013, she is reportedly still in counselling for the trauma she suffered. Mike Rudon for News Five.
In handing down his sentence, Justice Troadio Gonzalez took into account the fact that it was Chen’s first offence, as well as her show of remorse to the court and the anguish which he said she must be feeling. She was sentenced to eight years for each count of manslaughter, but because the sentences are to run concurrently she will serve only eight years.
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