Mother Says She Slashed The Throats Of Her Three Children ‘To Stop Them from Crying

An Army wife arrested for slashing the throats of her two-year-old daughter and six-month-old twins says she tried to kill her crying babies to keep them from disturbing her husband who 'gets very annoyed' whenever they make noise. 

Christina Booth, 29, suffers from postpartum depression and says she hit her 'breaking point' when all three of her young children started crying at once Sunday night when she tried to put them to bed after having two glasses of wine with husband Army Staff Sergeant Thomas Booth in Olympia, Washington. 

Mrs Booth told police that her husband, a Special Forces soldier at nearby Joint Base Lewis-McChord, 'never helps her with the children and that Thomas gets very annoyed when the children cry and make noise.' 

Detectives wrote: 'Christina said she knew if she killed all of the kids, the house would be quiet for Thomas.' 

'During the interview, Christina broke down crying several times, yelled about Thomas never helping with the kids and vomited once. Christina made the comment 'they will be quiet now' several times.' 

She admitted she went downstairs and grabbed a kitchen knife from the dishwasher and slashed her toddler's throat then covered her under a blanket so that she would be quiet.

She then slit the throats of her twin six-month-old daughters, as well, she told police. 

Sgt Booth told detectives he ran upstairs and found his wife screaming and naked, except for her underwear. When he saw his children he got his medical kit and started to wrap his babies' wounds with gauze to stop the bleeding. He screamed for his wife to call 911.

A recording of the emergency call reveals that Mrs Booth didn't tell dispatchers that her children had life-threatening injuries. Instead, she says that they won't stop crying and won't go to sleep. 

The operator asks: 'Do you think they need medical attention?'

'Yes. I don't know what they want,' she says. 

Then, Sgt Booth gets on the line and tells dispatchers to send an ambulance. The babies and Mrs Booth can be heard screaming in the background.

Mrs Booth can be hears screaming 'I love you!' in the background of the call.  

Sgt Booth is heard telling his wife: 'Don't say anything.'

A judge set bail at $3million for her three counts of attempted murder.

The children were reported stable Sunday after surgery at a hospital. The hospital isn't releasing updates on their condition because of federal privacy law. They have been placed in the custody of state Child Protective Services. 

Police have said Thomas Booth is not suspected of a crime.

US Army Special Forces soldier told detectives his wife always took the children out of his presence if they cried.

In talking with the woman's husband and neighbors, detectives have been getting a picture of a family in stress, Olympia police Lieutenant Jim Costa said earlier.

Neighbors told investigators that Booth had a 'bubbly' personality, but she had no break in dealing with her little ones.

'I'm sure there probably was frustration, friction in the household,' Costa said. 'A lot of dynamics pushed her over the brink.'

A crying woman called 911 at 1.17am Sunday and said her kids were crying and wouldn't stop, Costa said. She said she thought they needed medical attention.

A man came on the line a minute later and said the kids were bleeding from the neck and needed an ambulance, the lieutenant said.

Thomas Booth is with the 1st Special Forces Group at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, said Sgt. Michael Sword in the public affairs office. A message was left seeking comment from Thomas Booth.

Culled