could receive a maximum sentence of life in prison . Jacks told police that her daughters were possessed by demons and that each died in her sleep during a seven - to 10-day period , court documents said . Aja died first , she told police , then N'kiah , Tatianna and Brittany . `` She said that as the first three younger children died , she placed them side by side in the room in which they died , '' according to court documents . She reported that all the deaths occurred sometime before the electricity in her house was disconnected , which records show was September 5 , 2007 , documents said . Jacks said she never tried to call authorities to remove the bodies `` because she did n't trust either agency and because she thought if she notified emergency personnel , that would cause her more problems , '' the documents said . She also said she had not fed her daughters food `` for a substantial period of time prior to their deaths . '' No one besides herself or the children had been in the home since May 2007 , Jacks said . Pierre-Louis
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A mother suspected of killing her four children , whose decomposing bodies were found in her home , told police they were possessed by demons , according to court records . Banita Jacks , 33 , is charged with three counts of felony murder and one count of first-degree murder while armed . The victims , who range in age from 5 to 17 years , are thought to be her daughters . Their bodies were found when U.S. marshals served an eviction notice at Jacks ' apartment in southeast Washington , D.C. Court documents say Jacks identified the victims as her daughters Brittany Jacks , 17 ; Tatianna Jacks , 11 ; N'kiah Fogle , 6 ; and Aja Fogle , 5 . Earlier Thursday , Mayor Adrian Fenty said the bodies ' decomposition has hindered their identification , although they were believed to be Jacks ' children . Marie Pierre-Louis , Washington 's chief medical examiner , said all four of the girls had been dead for at least 15 days . Jacks is being held without bail . Her next court appearance is scheduled for February 11 . If convicted , she