A California mother who tried to drown her son 11 years ago will likely face two murder charges after her second child died in the hospital over the weekend.
On June 30, at around 5:30 a.m., someone called 911 to report that a woman identified as 45-year-old Sherri Renee Telnas had been “acting strangely” while walking with two boys across the street, near the 18900 block of Avenue 184, close to Porterville, California.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, police responded to the call and found the woman’s sons, 12-year-old Jackson Telnas (pictured) and 7-year-old Jason Telnas, in an irrigation ditch near a cornfield. Both were unresponsive.
The boys were rushed to the hospital. Jackson passed away while Jason had initially been in critical condition and in a coma. The youngest boy passed away over the weekend at the Valley Children’s Hospital in Madera County, according to Visalia Times Daily.
“They were possessed by demons,” Telnas reportedly told investigators, after allegedly throwing spit on the deputies who interviewed her.
Telnas was arrested on suspicion of both murder and attempted murder charges, but the attempted murder charge will likely now upgrade to murder. She’s also facing charges of gassing and battery on a police officer. Her murder charge comes with special circumstances of ” lying in wait,” which means she could face the death penalty if convicted.
This isn’t the first time Telnas has tried to kill her oldest son, according to police.
In 2008, Telnas took Jackson, a 10-month-old at the time, to the Clark Fork River in Montana and tried to drown him. She told authorities at the time that “bad thoughts or voices” made her do it, but at the last minute she decided she couldn’t go through with it.
Telmas reportedly performed CPR on the boy and brought him to the Mineral Community Hospital in Superior, where he was treated for water in his lungs. Telnas was initially charged with deliberate homicide and made to undergo a mental evaluation.
According to court documents, Telnas later accepted a plea deal for two counts of criminal endangerment. She was sentenced to the Montana Department of Health and Human Services Commitment, according to KRTV, but subsequently released in 2016.
In 2010, Telnas was granted full custody of Jackson during a divorce hearing after a judge reportedly claimed she was doing well in her mental health treatment and “appears to be very loving,” according to ABC 6.
Court records indicate Jacob Telnas, the boy’s father, didn’t respond to the court when Telnas accused him of being an unemployed alcoholic, which played a part in the woman gaining custody of the boy.
In 2012, Telnas got back together with Jacob Telnas, and the pair had another son. The family moved to California less than a year ago with the children.
Jackson had fully recovered when tragedy struck again.
Meanwhile, the victims’ loved ones set up a GoFundMe page to help with funeral and medical costs.
For the latest true crime and justice news, subscribe to the ‘Crime Stories with Nancy Grace’ podcast. Here is a related episode.
[Feature Photo: Jackson Telnas/GoFundMe]
