Ariz. Mother Allegedly Kills Children To Prevent Father From Getting Custody

Marilyn Edge, 42 (pictured above), of Scottsdale, Arizona was charged Monday with two counts of murder with special circumstances in the deaths of her two children, daughter Faith, 9, and son Jaelen, 13, after she poisoned them in a California hotel room to prevent turning custody over to their father in Georgia, reports the CBS Atlanta.

After a long, contentious custody battle, a Georgia judge awarded Mark Edge custody of the two children (pictured below) and Marilyn Edge was ordered to pay child support.

Instead of taking the children to their father in Cobb County, Georgia, Mrs. Edge allegedly poisoned them in a Santa Ana, California hotel room before crashing her car into an electrical box outside a Home Depot in Costa Mesa, California.

We’re just devastated,” Mark Edge’s attorney Marian Weeks said.

Read more from CBS Atlanta:

Marilyn Edge was supposed to start paying child support and turn the kids over in Georgia on Sunday at noon. Instead, a police officer showed up at Mark Edge’s door with the devastating news.

“We were frightened that she wouldn’t come with the kids yesterday. Mark and I never dreamed she would do this. We would have thought it was more likely she would hurt Mark, but never thought she would hurt the kids,” Weeks said.

…

“We’ve worked so hard and all Mark has ever wanted is to just love his children, to have time with his children, to take care of them,” Weeks said.

Thirteen-year-old Jaelen was autistic and Mr. Edge was looking forward to helping his son reach his full potential.

The grief-stricken father is currently in the hospital under emotional distress.