CADDO, LOUISIANA: Ureka R Black, a 34-year-old Louisiana woman who flung her two young children from a bridge to "meet with God," is representing herself in the murder trial.
The mother showed up in Caddo District Court on Monday, September 11, and asked the court if she could act as her own attorney.
She is accused of two counts of attempted second-degree murder as well as one crime of second-degree murder, according to The Shreveport Times.
What did Ureka R Black do?
Black reportedly tossed her children, 5-year-old Elijah Black and 10-month-old Joshua Black, from the Cross Lake bridge On Friday morning, September 24, 2021.
Officers from the Shreveport Police Department responded to a 911 report about a youngster observed floating in the lake near the bridge at approximately 11 am.
A worker on a neighboring yard team saw the infant floating face down in the lake and phoned authorities, reported Law & Crime.
Marine patrol personnel were sent to the location where they originally discovered infant Joshua, who was lifeless when he was retrieved from the sea.
EMS professionals attempted to resuscitate the baby, but he was declared dead on the spot.
Elijah was discovered floating on his back and was quickly rescued from the water. He was conscious but gravely injured.
The surviving child was sent to LSU Oschner Health Shreveport with "life-threatening injuries," according to authorities.
According to investigators, he offered authorities evidence that was essential in identifying his mother as the person who threw him and his younger brother from the bridge.
Prosecutors filed a petition for discovery on September 5 that disclosed more evidence about the circumstances leading up to Black allegedly throwing her children from the bridge.
Ureka R Black threw her children off the bridge to 'meet with God'
According to the Shreveport Times, Elijah told detectives that September 24 was his 5th birthday and that his mother drove him and his baby brother to the bridge that morning.
Elijah claims his mother told him he had "germs" and that the water beneath the bridge was "good water." She then "rolled" him off the bridge's apex.
Authorities allege Black threw the children into the lake so they might "meet with God," according to Shreveport ABC affiliate KTBS-TV.
What punishment is Ureka R Black likely to receive?
If convicted of second-degree murder, Black faces life in prison and an extra 50 years for the attempted second-degree murder allegation.
