Mother Jennifer Marie Stetley stabs her 6-year-old son to death and sets the house on fire, preventing his brother from escaping: reports

A mother has been found guilty of stabbing her six-year-old son to death before setting her home on fire, killing his younger brother as the flames raged.

Jennifer Marie Stetley, 37, was convicted just two and a half weeks after her trial on February 26, for the March 15, 2024, deaths of her son, Remy, and his five-year-old brother, Tristan.

She fatally stabbed Remy in the chest before using lighter fluid and gasoline to start three fires around her home on Red Lake Nation, Minnesota, including at exits, making it impossible for Tristan to escape.

Her defense lawyer, Paul Ng, said Stetley felt the house was “demonised”. Minnesota Star Tribune.

Tristan died of smoke inhalation and authorities described his mother’s actions as “horrific and unimaginable.”

Rick Evanchick, FBI Special Agent in Charge, said the two boys “had no chance of survival while in the care of the one person who should have been keeping them safe.”

Tristan, described in her obituary by her family as an “outgoing, lively little boy”, was left to die while fleeing with her three-year-old son, Ethan.

Ethan was covered in sores and had crusts on his feet that made it impossible for him to stand, prosecutors said. As reported by the Journal of Law and Crime.

An Amber Alert was issued, but canceled after a motorist spotted her about 150 miles south of her home.

She initially faced charges of child neglect, malicious punishment, torture and assault, but those charges were dropped in April 2024 because the Red Lake Reservation falls outside the state court’s jurisdiction.

She was then charged with murder and arson on May 6, 2024.

During her trial, Stately’s attorneys attempted to present an insanity defense — an argument the jury rejected.

She was convicted of five counts of first-degree murder and one count of arson. Her conviction was welcomed by law enforcement authorities.

“We have all witnessed the devastating consequences of Jennifer Stetley’s horrific and unimaginable actions that night,” said Drew Evans, Director of the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

“We hope that holding her accountable for her crimes will provide some sense of justice to the family and the entire Red Lake community who are forever affected by the loss of these two young boys.”

In Minnesota, the penalty for first-degree murder is life imprisonment. Stately has not yet been sentenced.