OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — The state of Florida says it will seek the death penalty for the woman accused of making her children drink bleach, later resulting in the death of her 3-year-old daughter.
Authorities say Joanne Zephir was arrested by Osceola County deputies on May 8, 2022, after stabbing her husband before making her children, ages 3 and 8, drink bleach. She then would reportedly strangle her 3-year-old child to death.
The husband and the other 8-year-old child were treated at a local hospital and survived.
The Ninth Judicial Circuit State Attorney's Office says Zephir became eligible for the death penalty after a grand jury indicted her on first-degree murder with a weapon in February, which is a capital felony.
The state attorney's office says she was also indicted with attempted first-degree murder with a weapon and attempted felony murder with a weapon.
During a 2022 press conference, Osceola County Sheriff Marcos R. Lopez said Zephir admitted to harming her children because of a "voodoo spell."
In a report from WFTV-TV, Zephir has been in the Osceola County jail on no bond since her arrest in 2022.
