Tiffanie Lucas learns her sentence for killing her 2 sons in their Bullitt County home

SHEPHERDSVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The Bullitt County woman who admitted to shooting and killing her two young sons was sentenced to prison Friday.

Judge Rodney Burress sentenced Tiffanie Lucas to life in prison for the murders of her sons, 6-year-old Maurice Baker Jr. and 9-year-old Jayden Howard.

Lucas was arrested in November 2023 and charged with their murders. A neighbor found the boys shot inside Lucas' home on Bentwood Drive in Bullitt County. Both were rushed to the hospital and died from their injuries.

Maurice Baker Jr. and Jayden Howard were found shot at their home in Bullitt County on Nov. 8, 2023. (Submitted photo)

Lucas entered a guilty plea in the case in October 2024. That avoided trial and, instead, set a date for Burress to determine her sentence. Because she entered a guilty plea, Lucas cannot appeal the sentence.

"A mother is more than the giving of life," Burress said Friday during the sentencing hearing. "It's providing food, clothing (and) shelter but, more importantly, love and security. I cannot imagine the sheer horror these children must have experienced seeing their mother with a gun."

Shortly after making those remarks, Burress sentenced Lucas to life in prison for both counts. According to Bullitt County Commonwealth's Attorney Bailey Taylor, that was the maximum sentence Lucas faced Friday.

"Tiffanie Lucas not only murdered Jayden and Maurice but she forever scarred the lives of their family and friends. Both adults and children," Taylor said in court.

During the sentencing, attorneys for Lucas claimed she had powerful delusions around the time of the shooting and said she tried to turn the gun on herself — but it jammed. One of her attorneys, Richard Lawniczak, said in court that Lucas was convinced she and her children were being stalked by an unknown group of powerful people she believed would abduct and torture them.

"Essentially, Tiffanie's psychotic episode was brought on by opioid withdraw," Lawniczak said. "She abstained from use. And, in trying to get clean, this was the side effect."

Friday was the first time her attorneys have commented on camera after a hearing. They did not answer questions but, instead, read a statement.

"I understand that this is a hard thing for many people to accept or understand, but no one is more devastated by their deaths than Tiffanie Lucas," said Jonathon Villavicencio, an attorney for Lucas, said while reading part of the statement. "Jayden and Maurice Jr. were everything to Tiffanie."

In the courtroom, six family members of the boys read victim impact statements, telling the judge how the murders of the two children have impacted their lives. Many used words like "monster" and "selfish" when referring to Lucas. Several cried as they spoke, as this was the first time they had looked Lucas in the eye since her arrest.

"She chose to take drugs and put them in that situation," said Maurice Baker, the father of the youngest boy.

Bobbie Baker, Maurice Jr.'s aunt, said she is heartbroken and will never forgive Lucas. She said she considered both boys her nephews.

The family of Jayden Howard also spoke in court, echoing that they, too, loved both children.

"You know that you could've gave them kids to us," said Regina Rowen, Jayden Howard's grandmother. "And we would've took care of them. But you have been selfish. My heart is in pieces."

Lucas did not speak in court. From the back of the courtroom, it was difficult to see her face. However, those who sat at the podium and spoke directly to her while giving their statements said she was emotional.

"She cried today," Bobbie Baker said. "That's the first time she's ever cried. And she cried to play on the judge."

Per law, Lucas could be eligible for parole after 20 years, which Bobbie Baker was still upset with after court. However, that's something the prosecutor has previously said he "seriously doubts" would be granted.

"Now, I can't speak for the parole board but I think the chances of her being paroled after 20 years are somewhere between slim and none," Taylor said Friday.

Related Stories: