Woman who drowned her 3 children at Coney Island receives 20-year sentence

Erin Merdy, 34, pleaded guilty in Brooklyn Supreme Court to three counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of her son Zachary Merdy, her daughter Liliana Stephens Merdy, and her infant son Oliver Bondarev. Authorities said she drowned the children in the Atlantic Ocean near West 35th Street in the Coney Island area during the early morning hours of Sept. 12, 2022. The children were found after a three-hour search that began when a relative called 911 out of concern for possible harm. The medical examiner ruled the deaths homicides by drowning. Merdy received a sentence of 20 years to life, and the Brooklyn District Attorney said the victims were innocent children whose lives were taken in an unthinkable way.

"Erin Merdy, 34, pleaded guilty in March in Brooklyn Supreme Court to three counts of first-degree murder in the killings of her children, Zachary Merdy, 7; Liliana Stephens Merdy, 4; and Oliver Bondarev, 3 months old. Authorities said Merdy drowned the children in the water off West 35th Street in the Coney Island section of Brooklyn during the early morning hours of Sept. 12, 2022, WNBC reported."

"Just after 12:30 a.m. ET on Sept. 12, 2022, prosecutors said that Merdy brought her children to the beach, steps away from the Coney Island boardwalk. She then drowned them in the Atlantic Ocean. Approximately an hour later, Merdy, walking down the shore in a wet bathrobe, called her family and hinted at what she had done, the Times reported."

"The children were found after a three-hour search that began when a relative called 911 to express concern that Erin Merdy may have harmed the children, according to USA Today. The New York City medical examiner's office ruled the children's deaths as homicides by drowning, WABC reported."

"In a statement, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said the victims were "innocent children whose lives were taken in the most heartbreaking and unthinkable way." "While nothing can bring these children back, this sentence ensures the defendant will be held responsible for taking their lives," Gonzalez said."

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