In a case a judge called “pure violence,” a Logan Square mother stands accused of stabbing her three children—killing her 4-year-old son—and then setting their apartment on fire while the kids lay wounded inside. Prosecutors say Tolbert believed her children were possessed by the devil and needed to die.
Wendy Tolbert, 46, appeared in court Sunday afternoon on a raft of felony charges including first-degree murder, attempted murder, aggravated arson, and aggravated battery. Cook County Judge James Murphy III ordered her detained pending trial, calling her a threat not only to her family, but to her neighbors and first responders.
The crime unfolded early Friday morning in the family’s home on the 3600 block of West Palmer Street.
According to police and prosecutors, Tolbert launched the assault without warning. Her 10-year-old son was playing video games on the floor. His younger brother, 4-year-old Jordan Walker, slept beside him.
Tolbert allegedly emerged from the kitchen armed with a knife and a metal blade and stabbed the older boy in the arm. He ran for his life, while Jordan tried to follow—but Tolbert kicked him down the basement stairs and stabbed him 36 times in the face, chest, and back, officials said.
Tolbert’s 13-year-old daughter, who had locked herself in a bedroom, called 911 twice to report that her mother was trying to kill them. She and the 10-year-old, who locked himself in an adjacent room, communicated through the common wall, trying to come up with a way to escape.
By the time police arrived, Tolbert was outside, blood-soaked and holding a knife in one hand and a burning paper towel in the other. Flames and smoke poured from the building.
Officers broke windows to reach the children. All three kids were rushed to Stroger Hospital, where Jordan was pronounced dead. The 13-year-old girl underwent emergency surgery and remains in critical condition, intubated. The 10-year-old has been released.
The fire—allegedly started by Tolbert using lighter fluid and rubbing alcohol—spread to the neighboring home, displacing residents and causing a partial roof collapse. A 31-year-old woman and a 34-year-old man in the neighboring home were hospitalized for smoke inhalation, as was one of the officers who helped rescue the children.
Tolbert allegedly confessed to the stabbings and arson, telling police she believed her children were possessed. Her public defender said she has a history of mental illness and was recently diagnosed with cancer.
