BULLITT COUNTY, Ky. — A Bullitt County woman accused of fatally shooting her two sons last November has changed her plea in their deaths.
Tiffanie Lucas previously pleaded not guilty in the deaths of 6-year-old Maurice and 9-year-old Jayden.
But on Wednesday, Lucas plead guilty to two counts of murder. Each charge carries a potential sentence of 20 to 50 years in prison, with the possibility of life in prison.
Bobbie Baker, Maurice's aunt, stood with the boy's stepmother and father through all the court proceedings, and was prepared for more.
"I would've sat through a trial and heard all of it. I would've," Baker said Wednesday.
Without a trial revealing the details behind this tragedy, she wants people to know her experience reporting Lucas to Kentucky's child protective services before the murders.
"We called because her friends would call me and tell me that she was getting high and putting them in the shower at three in the morning," she recalled. "Ice cold showers. And I called CPS, and they wouldn't do anything."
WHAS11 reached the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services by email for a response to the claim. While a spokesperson said they were working on a response, WHAS11 has yet to receive one.
Bullitt County Commonwealth's Attorney Bailey Taylor will now recommend how long Lucas will serve in prison instead of arguing her competency.
"I'm going to recommend a very high sentence," he said on the courthouse steps.
Since Lucas made her plea without having a deal on the table, the judge in this case will ultimately decide how long she's supposed to serve in prison.
Lucas is back in court on Nov. 22 at 9 a.m. for sentencing.
Case Background
Lucas was being held in custody on a $2 million bond and her murder trial was expected to begin in December.
She was arrested on Nov. 8, 2023 after police responded to shooting at a home in the 200 block of Bentwood Drive.
Four gunshots could be heard on a nearby Ring doorbell camera, according to police.
Roughly four-and-a-half minutes after the last gunshot is heard, Lucas can be seen leaving the house, yelling for help.
Last year, Bullitt County Sheriff's Detective Richard Beahl testified Lucas was found collapsed in a neighbor's yard. He said another officer found the two young boys covered in blood in a bedroom.
Lucas initially told police someone had given her a firearm, which she left in the bedroom, indicating the shooting may have been an accident. However, she said no one else had been inside the home.
Talia Crutcher, a family friend, previously told WHAS11 that the two boys were "heaven-sent."
Crutcher's son described the boys as "funny and nice," saying his favorite memories were when they'd play football together.
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