AZ mother to be arraigned for murdering her two kids at a Santa Ana hotel

Orange County District Attorney Press Release

For Immediate Release, Case # 13CF2925: October 24, 2013

MOTHER TO BE ARRAIGNED FOR SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES MURDER OF HER TWO CHILDREN BY POSIONING THEM AFTER LOSING CUSTODY BATTLE

SANTA ANA – A mother is scheduled to be arraigned tomorrow for special circumstances murder for poisoning her two children after losing custody of them to her former husband. Marilyn Kay Edge, 42, Scottsdale, Ariz., is charged with two felony counts of murder with special circumstance enhancements for committing multiple murders and murder by poisoning. If convicted, she faces a minimum sentence of life in state prison without the possibility of parole. Edge is eligible for the death penalty, and the District Attorney will make this determination at a later date. She is being held without bail and is scheduled for continued arraignment tomorrow, Oct. 25, 2013, at 10:00 a.m. in Department CJ-1, Central Jail, Santa Ana.

On Sept. 11, 2013, Edge lost custody of her two children, 10-year-old Faith E. and 13-year-old Jaelen E., at a family court hearing in Georgia, where her ex-husband lives, following a court ruling. Edge was ordered to submit her children to the Court on Sept. 15, 2013.

On Sept. 12, 2013, Edge is accused of driving from Georgia to Arizona, where her children were living, and then driving them to California under the false pretense that they were going on a family vacation. The defendant is accused of staying in a Santa Ana hotel with her children.

Late in the evening of Sept. 13, 2013, Edge is accused of murdering her two children by poisoning them.

Sometime in the early morning hours of Sept. 14, 2013, Edge is accused of attempting to drive into an electrical box outside a hardware store in Costa Mesa. The defendant is accused of crashing into a protective pole surrounding the electrical box, which disabled her vehicle.

The Costa Mesa Police Department arrived at the scene of the crash and arrested the defendant. The Santa Ana Police Department discovered the bodies of Faith E. and Jaelen E. in the hotel room and investigated this case. The investigation is ongoing.

Senior Deputy District Attorney Larry Yellin of the Homicide Unit is prosecuting this case.

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Tony Rackauckas, District Attorney 401 Civic Center Drive West Santa Ana, CA 92701

Contacts:

Susan Kang Schroeder Chief of Staff Office: 714-347-8408 Cell: 714-292-2718 Farrah Emami Spokesperson Office: 714-347-8405 Cell: 714-323-4486