Woman charged after her 3 children stabbed, 1 fatally, before Logan Square house fire, police say

CHICAGO (WLS) -- A Chicago woman is now facing charges after her 4-year-old son was killed and two other children were injured in a stabbing and arson fire on the Northwest Side.

Wendy Tolbert, 45, is charged with first-degree murder attempted murder and arson, among several other charges, Chicago police said.

In court Sunday, it was revealed that the children Tolbert is accused of stabbing are her own.

Her public defender said during the hearing that Tolbert has been battling mental health issues as well as cancer. The judge called her actions pure evil ordered Tolbert to be held in custody pending her trial.

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First responders were called to a home on Friday near Palmer Street and Lawndale Avenue in Logan Square.

Police said Tolbert stabbed three children, killing a four-year-old boy, before setting the house on fire. The Cook County Medical Examiner's Office identified him as Jordan Wallace. At last check, the surviving children were still in the hospital in critical condition.

Tolbert appeared for the first time in court Sunday, charged with murdering Wallace and for the attempted murder of her two other children, a 10-year-old boy and a 13-year old girl.

Prosecutors said the little boy was stabbed 36 times and his siblings were hospitalized in serious and critical condition.

"It's just shocking," family friend Antony Dobbs said. "So heartbreaking to hear the judge and everybody say what she did. It's really messed up. I couldn't believe it."

Tolbert's family left court without speaking to reporters, but Dobbs, who described himself as a close friend, spoke to ABC7.

"I've been knowing Wendy Tolbert her whole life," Dobbs said. "I've never known her to harm anybody, or do anything. She loved her kids to death."

Recounting Friday's events, prosecutors said it was around 9 a.m. on July 4 when Tolbert, armed with a kitchen knife, went after her children, stabbing each of them before setting the house on fire.

Prosecutors said her eldest child called 911. Police officers arrived on the scene, heard the children's screams and broke into the house, rescuing them.

Tolbert was arrested shortly after. Prosecutors said police found her holding a knife, and her clothes were covered in blood.

The 45-year-old woman is said to have admitted to the stabbing, saying her children were possessed by the devil, according to investigators.

The judge Sunday called Tolbert a clear and present danger to others before ordering her detained pending her trial. She also approved a health care order for Tolbert, who will undergo an evaluation of both her mental and physical health.

Tolbert's next court date is set for Monday.

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