Two Washington mothers acted together to kill themselves and their six adopted children by driving off an oceanside cliff in March 2018, a California jury found after a two-day inquest that ended Thursday (April 4), according to reports by The Oregonian and CNN.
The horrifying details emerged Thursday after a coroner's jury unanimously ruled that Jennifer and Sarah Hart intended to die along with their six adopted children: Markis, 19, Jeremiah and Abigail, both 14, Devonte, 15, Hannah, 16, and Ciera, 12, according to a CNN report.
The coroner's inquest gave some insight into what led the couple to end the lives of all eight Harts. Jurors weighed evidence and heard from witnesses that the children desperately sought help from neighbors and that their parents allegedly abused and starved the six adopted children.
As Jennifer drove down the US 101 highway, she had five beers in her system, enough to make it difficult for her to function, according to Slates. The theory is that she drank to build up her courage, Slates said. Her wife, Sarah Hart, sat in the passenger seat looking up different ways to end a life, authorities said, with searches on her phone about death by Benadryl, the effects of over-the-counter medications, drowning and hypothermia, according to The Oregonian.
https://www.nola.com/crime/2019/04/washington-mothers-who-drove-suv-off-cliff-acted-together-to-kill-entire-family-reports.html
