The Tacony mother who allegedly killed her twins in an attempted murder-suicide has been arraigned on two counts of murder.
It was a sad sight in Tacony Friday as the father of the twins threw his children's things away.
The father, Ron Smalls, took his children’s toys, high chairs and play pen out to the curb on the 6300 block of Ditman Street as a trash truck pulled up Friday morning. Only NBC10's cameras were there as the items were crushed in the trash truck.
NBC10’s Tim Furlong asked Ron, who is a corrections officer, if he wanted to talk but the grieving father said he wasn’t ready. Ron did however say his 4-year-old daughter who was apparently poisoned is expected to be OK.
The man’s wife Stacey Smalls, 41, attempted to commit suicide by slitting her own wrists after she allegedly killed her 1-1/2-year-old son Adam and the boy's twin sister Eve -- drowning one and strangling the other, Philadelphia Police said.
Police sources tell NBC10 that Stacey Smalls left four notes explaining that she hurt the children because she was apparently upset after finding out on Mother's Day that her husband was allegedly having an affair with Stacey's daughter from another relationship.
"She had something that she felt was justification but there is no justification... it’s a tragedy two young babies dead and there is no excuse for that," Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey told NBC10.
"Stacey Smalls was transported into the homicide unit and was arrested and charged with two counts of murder," police Capt. James Clark said.
Neighbors said that the father came home Thursday afternoon and called 911. His twin children were dead, his 4-year-old daughter was poisoned and his wife had slit her wrists, cops said.
Stacey Smalls was taken to Frankford Hospital while the 4-year-old girl was taken to St. Christopher’s Hospital, police said. The girl has since been released from the hospital and is doing okay.
Stacey Smalls who worked as a nursing home nurse remained in custody Friday night.
"I am in a dream," said Yvonne Newkirk, Stacey's mother. "I just want to wake up."
"This is totally out of character for my niece," said Tony Ball, Stacey's uncle. "She is a very loving individual but something had to happen for this to transpire."
A memorial continues to grow outside the home where Smalls and her family lived. Late Friday evening, Ron spent a few minutes reading some of the cards neighbors and co-workers left on the doorstep.
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Ron told NBC10 he would live with the incident for the rest of his life and asked for privacy.
"He's not talking to us and he's being very distant from us," said Ball. "We wish that he would talk so we could bring some closure."
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