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Tag: Exorcism

  • Exorcism Deaths Result Of Mental Illness?

    Maryland natives are reeling from a horrific event that occurred in Germantown this past Friday.

    Montgomery County Police responded to a 9-1-1 call about a knife outside a car covered in blood where a child was left unattended. Law enforcement officials were not prepared for the grizzly scene that awaited them in a Cherry Bend Drive townhouse.

    Inside were the bodies of one-year-old Norell Harris and his sister Zyana, who was just two years old. Their 28-year-old mother, Zakieya Avery, was arrested as she tried to flee the scene via a rear door. Her 21-year-old friend, Monifa Sanford, had suffered injuries and was arrested as she left an area hospital.

    There were two older siblings were seriously injured by the two women as well. Martello, aged eight, and Taniya, aged 5, were treated for their wounds at a hospital near Washington, D.C.

    Says county Police Chief Tom Manger, “Cases like this are heartbreaking. Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the victims.”

    A police spokesperson revealed that it was learned over the course of investigation that the two women believed that they were performing an exorcism.

    Capt. Marcus Jones, commander of the county’s major crimes unit says that the event was, “all about what was in their minds” and that the women believed “there was something bad going on with the children, and they were trying to release it” by stabbing them multiple times.

    While the American public is familiar with Catholic exorcisms which involve ritualistic behaviors, at no point is anyone stabbed.

    What the women speak of resembles the “blood letting” medical practices thousands and thousands of years ago where it was believed if you cut the body and released blood, evil spirits and demons would exit as well. It should go without saying that this practice has largely fallen out of favor as humans have evolved both scientifically and socially.

    However, this behavior goes far beyond ancient wife’s tales and into the realm of serious psychological problems. Research has shown that there are close ties between schizophrenia and ultra religious beliefs.

    Is this tragedy the result of mental illness or is religion being used as a cover to mask cold-blooded murder? What do YOU think? Respond below.

    Image via Nikki Burdine

  • Exorcism Leads To The Deaths Of Two Children – How?

    Two Maryland women have been charged with the deaths of two young children. Zakieya L. Avery, 28, the mother of the children, and her friend Monifa Denise Sanford, 21, claimed that they were attempting an exorcism when they stabbed four of Avery’s young children. A 1 year old boy and 2 year old girl were killed as a result of the stabbings and the two other children were injured during the alleged exorcism.

    Police have not revealed much about the incident and are likely still questioning both women to determine why they were conducting the exorcism and how it led to the children being stabbed. Exorcisms are not commonly practiced, and when they are, they are usually conducted by a priest. This is not the first time an alleged exorcism has led to a death. So what makes these rituals so deadly?

    The Catholic Church recognizes demonic possession as a real thing and use exorcisms to remove demons from people. Exorcisms are not very common and the church only authorizes priests who are thoroughly trained to conduct them. During most exorcisms, a doctor, nurse or other medical personnel are present in case the victim needs medical care.

    When someone believes they are possessed or shows signs of possession, they can often turn violent quickly and try to harm themselves or others. It can take several people to hold down the possessed person while the priest attempts to cast out the devil or demon that is tormenting them. Exorcisms can last for days and even weeks, and usually leave everyone involved exhausted. The violence and exhaustion of exorcisms is what makes them potentially dangerous.

    So is this the case for the exorcism that took the lives of two young toddlers? Not likely. It is more likely that Avery and Sanford were either mentally ill or under the influence of drugs when they decided they needed to exorcise the demons from Avery’s children. Exorcisms do not require anyone to be stabbed, so it is likely that these women were mentally unstable when they committed the acts or are lying to cover up the real motive for the heinous crime.

    Do you believe these women really thought the devil was inside the two toddlers?

  • Exorcism Claimed The Lives Of 2 Toddlers

    Exorcism Claimed The Lives Of 2 Toddlers

    Two women in Germantown, Maryland have been arrested following a murder and attempted murder of one’s own children on Friday. The women were said to have been performing an exorcism.

    Two of the children died of multiple stab wounds and two others are hospitalized with undisclosed injuries, police said.

    The women, Monifa Denise Sanford, 21, along with the children’s mother, Zakieya L. Avery, 28 have been charged with two counts of first degree murder and two counts of attempted first-degree murder, Montgomery County Police said.

    It is unknown why these women would do such a thing to their children, but police reported that Avery stabbed two of her children until they died, and the others were suffering with stab wounds.

    Sanford was briefly hospitalized after the incident and was charged after she was released. Police believe she is not related to the family, but lived at the same residence in Germantown.

    The children who were brutally stabbed are Norell Harris, 1, and his sister, Zyana Harris, 2, who suffered fatal stab wounds while their siblings, who are 5 and 8, were hospitalized, authorities said.

    “Cases like this are heartbreaking,” county Police Chief Tom Manger said. “Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the victims.”

    The four children were found after a neighbor called 911 reporting unusual and suspicious activity at the home. The neighbor said she saw a car with the door wide open, and a knife next to it.

    Exorcism, as explained by the Catholic Encyclopedia: the act of driving out, or warding off, demons, or evil spirits, from persons, places, or things, which are believed to be possessed or infested by them, or are liable to become victims or instruments of their malice.

    “Investigators have learned that the two defendants believed that they were performing an exorcism. The investigation into this motive and other aspects of the crime continue at this point,” police said.

    Both women are being held without bail.

    Image via YouTube

  • Exorcism Leads to Death of Two Maryland Children

    Zakieya Latrice Avery, 28, and 21-year-old Monifa Sanford have been charged in the murder of two toddlers, which were brutally stabbed on Friday in an attempted exorcism.

    Two other young victims, ages five and eight, were also wounded but all four are said to be Avery’s children.

    Authorities found the children in a home located in Germantown following a 911 call from a nearby neighbor.

    The neighbor reported suspicious activities after noticing a stream of blood outside the house and a knife near a car door.

    When authorities arrived, the two women attempted to flee out the back door.(image)

    It is unknown why the crime was declared an exorcism, but police have reported that the women believed they were performing an exorcism.

    Two-year-old Zyana Harri and one-year-old Norell succumbed to multiple stab wounds. The other two victims are being hospitalized for their injuries.

    Both have been charged with two counts of first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder.(image)

    “Cases like this are heartbreaking. Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the victims,” Police Chief Tom Manager told CNN.

    Nearby neighbors like Michelle Smith are still in disbelief by the events that took place, because to many Avery seemed like a happy, normal single mother.

    “Shocked, but devastated at the same time because there’s kids involved and you hate to see or hear something happened to kids,” she said.

    Sadly enough, cases similar to this are not completely uncommon, but yet still bizarre.

    In June 2013, 30-year-old Eder Guzman-Rodriguez of Floyd County, Va., was charged with first-degree murder in the death of his daughter, which occurred in 2011.

    Guzman-Rodriguez too believed that his child was possessed by demons and tried to extract the evil spirits by ways of exorcism.

    Two-year-old Jocelyn suffered from abrasions and fractured ribs, but her cause of death was concluded to be asphyxiation.

    What is even creepier is that other friends were present during the event but were standing outside of the house holding Bibles.

    Guzman-Rodriguez, who is currently serving 20 years, is scheduled for deportation soon after his release.

    Images via Youtube

  • The Vatican Denies Pope Performed Exorcism

    Did Pope Francis, the latest to ascend to the Catholic throne, perform an exorcist on a wheelchair-bound young man this past Sunday? According to those who know what the ritual entails–beyond the movies, anyway–it appears as if the prayer the Pope performed over the man was done for exorcism purposes. There is video of the incident in question:


    As indicated, those who have seen the video say yes, it was an exorcism prayer:

    “Exorcists who have seen the footage have no doubt – this was a prayer for liberation from Evil, an actual exorcism,” said TV2000, which is owned by the Italian Bishops Conference. The station gathered a panel of clergy specialising in exorcisms who scrutinised the footage and concluded that the pope had performed an exorcism. (link added)

    However, the Vatican is taking another point of view concerning Pope Francis and his healing hands:

    “The Holy Father did not intend to carry out any exorcism,” said Father Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman. “Instead, as he often does for sick and suffering people, he simply intended to pray for a person who was presented to him.”

    These words, however, did not go unanswered, at least by Father Gabriele Amorth, who, according to reports, is the head of the International Association of Exorcists. Father Amorth says, “It was a real exorcism. If the Vatican has denied this, it shows that they understand nothing.” Of course, it could also be the case that the Vatican is just having fun with semantics and not stoking the fires of exorcism. The Vatican’s explanation was purposely vague, reducing the action to a simple prayer. If, however, you read the Catholic Encyclopedia’s definition of the word “exorcism,” it’s easy to see how vague semantics will let avoid the “exorcism” word without lying about what Pope Francis did (or did not do):

    Exorcism is (1) the act of driving out, or warding off, demons, or evil spirits, from persons, places, or things, which are believed to be possessed or infested by them, or are liable to become victims or instruments of their malice; (2) the means employed for this purpose, especially the solemn and authoritative adjuration of the demon, in the name of God, or any of the higher power in which he is subject.

    With that in mind, it would be very easy to replace the terms “demon” and “evil spirits” with vague terms like “sick and suffering people” and while there’s obfuscation, no outright lie has been told. So, did Pope Francis actually perform a quick-and-easy exorcism, or was he just praying for the sick young man?