Lexington mother accused of stabbing her kids gets indicted on 2 murder charges
A Lexington mother accused of stabbing her children to death in May has indicted on two charges of murder — domestic violence, according to court records.
An indictment was returned last month for Nikki James, 43, who is due back in court Friday for an arraignment. She is currently being held at the Fayette County Detention Center without a bond, according to jail records. James is alleged to have stabbed and killed her two kids, 13-year-old Deon Williams and 5-year-old Skyler Williams.
According to court documents, the Commonwealth Attorney’s office has requested to obtain a buccal swab to test DNA. If approved, the DNA obtained would be compared to evidence collected at the scene of the stabbing.
Detective Joshua Crowe with the Lexington Police Department previously testified that James was in such a state with deep lacerations in numerous places on her body when police responded to the incident. She began to strike officers and was detained, Crowe said.
Crowe added that several witnesses at the scene told officers they heard James make statements that she “wanted to go home,” and “she killed her kids, but could not kill herself.”
When officers searched James’ apartment, they located the two children, also with stab wounds and lacerations. The children had no pulse and were not breathing. The two were later declared dead by the Fayette County Coroner’s Office at a local hospital.
James was taken to the hospital, according to court testimony. She was intubated for the severity of her injuries which included a deep laceration to her neck, and another laceration from her breast bone to her pelvic bone. She was held in a psychiatric unit as well.
Attorneys for James previously said the family members were “victims of a clear systemic failure” and were focusing on James’ “serious mental health needs.”
