Pa. mother, daughter are charged in deaths of 5 relatives

MORRISVILLE, Pa. (AP) — Police found a Pennsylvania woman and her teenage daughter in an apartment with the bodies of five relatives they had killed, including three children, authorities said today.

Shana S. Decree, 45, and Dominique Decree, 19, were charged with five counts of homicide and one count each of conspiracy.

Shana Decree told police that "everyone at the apartment ... wanted to die" and talked about suicide, according to court documents. Decree claimed one of the victims, Jamilla Campbell, 42, killed two other victims before she herself was slain.

The bodies were found Monday inside an apartment in suburban Philadelphia after Bucks County child welfare officials showed up unannounced and got no response when they knocked on the door. A maintenance worker opened the door and found Shana Decree and Dominique Decree in a "disoriented" state, according to court documents.

Police arrived and found all five bodies in a bedroom. The apartment was in "disarray," according to Police Chief George McClay, with broken drywall and broken glass, overturned furniture, and other clutter.

Shana Decree was arraigned early today, while her daughter was expected to make her initial court appearance later in the day.

It wasn't clear whether either woman yet has a lawyer to speak for her.

The victims included Shana Decree's children Naa'Irah Smith, 25, and Damon Decree Jr., 13, both of Morrisville; as well as Shana Decree's sister Jamilla Campbell, of Trenton, N.J., and Campbell's 9-year-old twin daughters Imani and Erika Allen. Authorities did not reveal how they died.

Bucks County District Attorney Matthew Weintraub said authorities were looking for Campbell's 17-year-old son Joshua. He stressed the teen is not a suspect, adding authorities just want to "ensure his safety."