The Massachusetts mother who was found with the dead bodies of infants in her home may have feared her boyfriend, who she said didn't want any more children after their first two, according to her lawyer. Erika Murray, 31, was charged Friday with fetal death concealment and other counts after authorities found bodies in her vermin-infested home in Blackstone, near the Rhode Island border. Murray's lawyer, Keith Halpern, told The Boston Globe that Murray's boyfriend had told her he didn't want anymore children after their first two. Disturbed: The lawyer for Erika Murray, 31, said that his client 'couldn't figure out how to get out of the prison she created for herself' and was afraid after her boyfriend said he didn't want anymore kids . She secretly gave birth to the two, and in an effort to conceal that the children were hers, told her boyfriend she was babysitting them. 'Try to imagine the kind of fear and sort of loss of control over your life that would lead a woman to give birth to a child alone on the floor of her bathroom. That's was she was going through,' Halpern said. 'This terror just controlled her. She couldn't figure out how to get out of the prison she created for herself,' he added . Halpern said it's wasn't clear to him how much of the fear was attributable to the mental illness he believes Murray has and how much was due to real-life concerns. 'She is clearly mentally ill,' he said, 'because the lengths to which she went to try to hide these children...no one in their right mind would have done this.' Two weeks ago, state officials took custody of Murray's four children, ages 6 months to 13 years, after discovering the dirty conditions of the home. Confined: Investigators found the bodies of three infants in the home, after first finding a neglected infant covered in feces . Condemned: Police say soiled diapers were piled two feet high and in addition to the human infant bodies, there were remains of several animals . Prosecutors and neighbors said included soiled diapers piled up two feet high and the remains of several animals. A medical examiner is currently running tests to determine whether the infants died as newborns or fetuses, and how they died. Halpern says he's optimistic that testing will show the infants were stillborn, and that his client wasn't responsible for harming or killing them. 'I...am eager to see whether the forensic testing confirms that in fact the children that are deceased...were never born alive,' Halpern said. Halpern declined to discuss Murray's relationship with her boyfriend and whether she was scared because she believed he would harm her. He also declined to comment when asked what Murray told him about the three dead babies. The boyfriend hasn't been charged in connection with the dead infants or the conditions in the home, where he also lived. The children first came to the attention of police two weeks ago when a 10-year-old boy who lived in the house went to a neighbor and asked, 'How do you get a baby to stop crying?' said Tim Connolly, a spokesman for Worcester District Attorney Joseph Early Jr. The neighbor went with the boy and found the crying baby covered in feces, but no adults around. Police were called and notified the state Department of Children and Families, which removed the four children — ages 13, 10, 3 and 6 months — from the home. Murray was then charged with two counts of reckless endangerment, and the house was condemned. Based on interviews with the two older children, police got a search warrant and went back to the house. That's when they found the remains of three babies, one in a closet on Wednesday and two others on Thursday. Community members planned a vigil for Sunday evening to show support for Murray's children.
Erika Murray, 31, was charged Friday with fetal death concealment after officials found bodies in her bug- and rat-infested home in Blackstone .
Murray's lawyer, Keith Halpern, said Murray's boyfriend told her he didn't want anymore children after their first two .
Murray secretly gave birth to two children and told her boyfriend she was babysitting them .
Halpern says she's clearly mentally ill to have gone the lengths she did, and that 'The terror just controlled her'
The Massachusetts mother who was found with the dead bodies of infants in her home may have feared her boyfriend, who she said didn't want any more children after their first two, according to her lawyer. Erika Murray, 31, was charged Friday with fetal death concealment and other counts after authorities found bodies in her vermin-infested home in Blackstone, near the Rhode Island border. Murray's lawyer, Keith Halpern, told The Boston Globe that Murray's boyfriend had told her he didn't want anymore children after their first two. Disturbed: The lawyer for Erika Murray, 31, said that his client 'couldn't figure out how to get out of the prison she created for herself' and was afraid after her boyfriend said he didn't want anymore kids . She secretly gave birth to the two, and in an effort to conceal that the children were hers, told her boyfriend she was babysitting them. 'Try to imagine the kind of fear and sort of loss of control over your life that would lead a woman to give birth to a child alone on the floor of her bathroom. That's was she was going through,' Halpern said. 'This terror just controlled her. She couldn't figure out how to get out of the prison she created for herself,' he added . Halpern said it's wasn't clear to him how much of the fear was attributable to the mental illness he believes Murray has and how much was due to real-life concerns. 'She is clearly mentally ill,' he said, 'because the lengths to which she went to try to hide these children...no one in their right mind would have done this.' Two weeks ago, state officials took custody of Murray's four children, ages 6 months to 13 years, after discovering the dirty conditions of the home. Confined: Investigators found the bodies of three infants in the home, after first finding a neglected infant covered in feces . Condemned: Police say soiled diapers were piled two feet high and in addition to the human infant bodies, there were remains of several animals . Prosecutors and neighbors said included soiled diapers piled up two feet high and the remains of several animals. A medical examiner is currently running tests to determine whether the infants died as newborns or fetuses, and how they died. Halpern says he's optimistic that testing will show the infants were stillborn, and that his client wasn't responsible for harming or killing them. 'I...am eager to see whether the forensic testing confirms that in fact the children that are deceased...were never born alive,' Halpern said. Halpern declined to discuss Murray's relationship with her boyfriend and whether she was scared because she believed he would harm her. He also declined to comment when asked what Murray told him about the three dead babies. The boyfriend hasn't been charged in connection with the dead infants or the conditions in the home, where he also lived. The children first came to the attention of police two weeks ago when a 10-year-old boy who lived in the house went to a neighbor and asked, 'How do you get a baby to stop crying?' said Tim Connolly, a spokesman for Worcester District Attorney Joseph Early Jr. The neighbor went with the boy and found the crying baby covered in feces, but no adults around. Police were called and notified the state Department of Children and Families, which removed the four children — ages 13, 10, 3 and 6 months — from the home. Murray was then charged with two counts of reckless endangerment, and the house was condemned. Based on interviews with the two older children, police got a search warrant and went back to the house. That's when they found the remains of three babies, one in a closet on Wednesday and two others on Thursday. Community members planned a vigil for Sunday evening to show support for Murray's children.
according to her lawyer. Erika Murray, 31, was charged Friday with fetal death concealment and other counts after authorities found bodies in her vermin-infested home in Blackstone, near the Rhode Island border. Murray's lawyer, Keith boyfriend had told her he didn't want anymore children after their first two. Disturbed: The secretly gave birth to the two, and in an effort boyfriend she was babysitting them. 'Try to Halpern said. 'This terror just controlled her.