The husband of a Texas mother accused of stabbing her young children — ages 3 years and 10 months — and him early Tuesday morning told police she was going through postpartum depression at the time, WFAA-TV reported, citing a newly released arrest affidavit.
The husband also was concerned about her behavior before the stabbing, the station said, citing the affidavit.
The husband ‘was trying to get to the children, but the children were in another room, and she was actively trying to stab him.’
Northlake Police officers were dispatched to a home in the 1200 block of Daylily Drive around 4:20 a.m. regarding a stabbing in progress, KXAS-TV said.
Police said a man called 911 and reported that his wife had a knife and was stabbing him, KXAS said.
Holly Leeann Flores, 37, was taken into custody and booked into the Denton County Jail on preliminary charges of attempted capital murder (two counts) and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, police told WFAA, adding that bond for each of the attempted capital murder charges has been set at $1,000,000; bond has not been set for the aggravated assault charge.
WFAA, citing an arrest affidavit the station said it obtained, sait arriving officers saw Flores’ husband — Justin Hommel — standing in the home’s driveway holding a knife; there was blood on his head. Hommel immediately dropped the knife, WFAA said, and officers entered the home, found Flores, and detained her.
Officers also heard children screaming in the house, and they found the couple’s two small children, who also had been stabbed, police told WFAA.
Both children were conscious when officers arrived, and they were rushed to a hospital with multiple stab wounds, WFAA reported, citing the affidavit.
Police told WFAA the injured were:
A 34-year-old man, who suffered head injuriesA 3-year-old girl, who suffered a stab wound to the chestA 10-month-old boy, who suffered a stab wound to the chest
Hommel and the children were taken to a Fort Worth hospital, the station said, adding that Flores was taken to a Denton hospital for observation and possible injuries — and once she was treated and released, she was sent to jail.
Police on Thursday said the children have been released from the hospital and are in the care of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, WFAA said, adding that Hommel also has has been released from the hospital.
RELATED: Mother accused of stabbing her young children — 1 of them just 10 months old — and her husband
Northlake Police Chief Robert Crawford told WFAA he listened to the 911 call saying that the husband “was trying to get to the children, but the children were in another room, and she was actively trying to stab him.”
The station said audio of the emergency radio traffic was posted on the scanner-monitoring site Broadcastify, and it captured a dispatcher relaying the initial report: “Caller stated wife is stabbing husband, stabbed in the head. … Female is turning on gas stove in the house. There are children in the house.” Police have not said if the report about the stove was confirmed, WFAA noted.
In a 911 call, Hommel is heard asking his wife amid the attack if this is a “postpartum thing,” the station added.
Police said they responded to five other calls at the home since March, WFAA said, adding that the arrest affidavit indicates police confirmed they previously had responded to the home multiple times for welfare concerns and overdoses.
A dispatcher said on the radio, “They have a history of welfare concerns involving CPS with the mother,” the station said, adding that Child Protective Services confirmed it had been involved with the family but did not release details about the case.
More from WFAA:
In an interview with police, Hommel told police that his wife was recently struggling with postpartum depression and that her behavior has recently changed. Due to his concerns, he planned to sleep on a couch to be closer to his children.
On the night of the incident, Hommel said he saw Flores take a candle into the children’s bedroom, which he thought was strange, the affidavit states. He then awoke around 1 a.m. to the sound of Flores attempting to use a lighter in the bedroom. When he entered to check on Flores, he saw her lighting a candle and saw a kitchen knife on the bedroom dresser, police said.
The knife “freaked him out” and he attempted to enter the room; however, Holly was able to close the door on him, and he went back to sleep, the affidavit states.
The station said that Hommel told police that he awoke later that evening to sounds of his children crying in their bedroom and knocked on the door.
WFAA, citing the affidavit, said that when Flores opened the door, she was holding the knife and began attacking him, after which Hommel was able to wrestle the knife away from her. The station said officers observed bite marks on his arm, indicating a struggle.
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Crime