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Italy stabbings: Grandmother tried to gain custody of grandson before his murder
Tanya Reese says her 6-year-old grandson loved basketball and Spider-Man. She took a picture of him at his sixth birthday party last October. It was the last time she ever saw him.
ITALY, Texas - A heartbroken grandmother tells FOX 4 she tried to gain custody of her 6-year-old grandson last year, but it didn't pan out.
The boy is one of three young victims murdered allegedly by his mother at their Ellis County home.
Legend Chapelle and four of his siblings were stabbed Friday evening inside a home in Italy.
Their mother, 25-year-old Shamaiya Hall is charged with his death and the deaths of two more of his siblings. We know the two children who survived are still in the hospital.
Tanya Reese described her grandson, 6-year-old Legend Chapelle.
"He had a smile. It would light up the whole room. He was such a beautiful baby. He was such a beautiful baby," she said.
Reese says the 6-year-old boy loved basketball and Spider-Man. Reese took a picture of him at his sixth birthday party last October. It was the last time she saw him.
t’s like I couldn’t do anything. I wanted to fight," she said. "I wanted to… anger. Anger. You know?"
Friday, Reese received a call from her son saying Legend had been murdered by his own mother.
Investigators say Hall stabbed all five of her children, killing three of them. Two of the children were hospitalized. An update on their conditions has not been released.
"You couldn’t have been that selfish," Reese said.
Hall sits in the Ellis County jail facing three counts of capital murder.
The Ellis County Sheriff’s Office tells fox 4 on Monday more charges are coming but didn’t elaborate.
Hall’s family members tell FOX 4 she didn’t have custody of her children, and it’s unclear why Hall was at the home at the time or what led up to the stabbing.
The Ellis County District Attorney’s Office is not releasing arrest paperwork that could shed more light on what happened because of the ages of the young victims.
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PRESSER: Authorities investigating deaths of 3 children in Italy
Authorities held a press conference to their investigation into the deaths of three children in the Ellis County town of Italy.
"You should’ve stopped and said, ‘What am I doing? It’s wrong.’ You kept going and going and going while the kids are screaming and hollering for their lives. She didn’t care," Reese said.
Reese and her husband showed FOX 4 paperwork from July showing their attempts to gain custody of Legend.
However, Reese says Legend and his siblings ultimately ended up in Italy to stay with a relative on Hall’s side of the family.
"You cheated us in life, but you will not cheat them in death," she said. "I will keep fighting, and I will fight harder. And I will not rest. I will not rest or leave this world until we get justice for Legend."
In 2017, Hall was arrested for aggravated assault in Dallas County. An arrest affidavit says Hall and her sister tried to stab a man.
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3 children killed, 2 hurt in Italy, Texas
The Ellis County Sheriff's Office is investigating the murders of three children in an attack that also injured two other children.
Hall’s twin sister allegedly stabbed her own 7-year-old daughter to death.
The Ellis County Sheriff’s Office couldn’t confirm if they’ve been to the Italy home before.