Mother Charged With Trying To Kill Her Disabled Twins

Mother Charged With Trying To Kill Her Disabled Twins

HOMASSASA, Fla. -- A mother was charged with two counts of attempted murder after she tried to kill her disabled twin boys and then herself, authorities said Wednesday.

Krystal Garza, 37, locked herself along with her 14-year-old twins in her car Tuesday and attached a hose to the exhaust pipe. The two boys have cerebral palsy and cannot walk, the Citrus County Sheriff's Office said.

A motorist saw Garza's car and called police. When the motorist turned around to check on the situation, authorities said Garza took off. Deputies found her a few minutes later.

Garza and the boys survived and were taken to local hospitals and released. The Department of Children and Families took custody of the boys.

Garza was booked into the Citrus County jail on two counts of attempted murder. Earlier in the evening Garza's ex-husband had called deputies from his home in Texas and said Garza had threatened over the phone to kill herself and the boys.

Neighbors in the small town said they couldn't imagine Garza would hurt her kids. "She was crazy about them," neighbor Katie Wells, 15, told the St. Petersburg Times.