On November 17th, 2016, Brandi Worley committed a brutal act, killing her two children, Tyler and Charlee, in their family home. This devastating event occurred the day after her husband, Jason Worley, filed for divorce. While Jason slept in the basement, Brandi repeatedly stabbed her children in the neck before inflicting self-harm.
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Following the tragic incident, Brandi calmly called 911 and admitted to the dispatcher that she had killed her two children and stabbed herself. The dispatcher, in disbelief, requested that Brandi’s mother check on the children. The screams of the grandmother, who discovered the horrific scene, woke Jason from his sleep in the basement. Brandi showed no remorse for her actions and told Jason, “Now you can’t take the kids from me.”
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Tyler and Charlee Worley
Tyler and Charlee Worley were the beloved children of Jason and Brandi Worley, known for their joyous and healthy nature. Tyler, a student of Sugar Creek Elementary School, was an active child who enjoyed playing a variety of sports, such as basketball, soccer, football, and baseball.
Charlee, on the other hand, was enrolled in preschool and had a keen interest in storytelling and dancing. Similar to her older brother, she was also enthusiastic about sports, particularly basketball.
Brandi’s imprisoned at an Indiana facility where she’ll spend the rest of her life
Tyler and Charlee, who tragically lost their lives at the hands of their mother, were laid to rest at Greenlawn Cemetery in Darlington several days after their death. The case garnered international attention due to the efforts of YouTuber Philip DeFranco, whom Jason had reached out to via Reddit to share that his children loved his content.
Philip used his platform to encourage people to donate to a GoFundMe campaign for the children’s funerals and Jason’s living expenses. The campaign surpassed $50,000 within a few weeks, and people continue to donate to this day.
Initially pleading not guilty to two counts of felony murder, Brandi recovered from her self-inflicted stab wounds while awaiting trial. She later declared her intention to claim the insanity defense. However, in January 2018, she pleaded guilty to the charges, and Jason was present when she entered her plea.
At the sentencing in March 2018, Judge Harry Siamas handed down a 120-year prison sentence, acknowledging that sometimes there is no explanation for such heinous acts. Brandi said nothing during the sentencing, and reports claim that she suffers from depression and exists in an “unemotional” state in Indiana Women’s Prison in Indianapolis.
Defense attorney Mark Inman noted that Brandi displayed emotion during their first few meetings before becoming impassive, suggesting that it was her way of dealing with the situation. “That’s the only way she can deal with it at this point,” Mark said. “She doesn’t know why she did it.”
Community Reaction To The Murders Of Charlee And Tyler Worley
Following the tragic murders of Tyler and Charlee Worley at the hands of their mother, the community of Darlington came together to support Jason and his family. A funeral was held at the Darlington Community Center to honor the memory of the two children.
The community showed an outpouring of generosity and raised a substantial $50,000 on a GoFundMe page to assist with expenses during this difficult time. The Worley children were laid to rest at the Green-lawn Cemetery in Darlington, where their memory continues to be cherished by their loved ones and the community.
Brandi said she killed the children to prevent her husband from taking them
The events leading up to Tyler and Charlee’s murders suggest that Brandi had premeditated the heinous act. After Jason filed for divorce, the family attended Charlee’s dance practice, according to the County Prosecutor’s timeline. They then returned home for dinner, after which Brandi rushed to Walmart to buy pipe cleaners for Tyler’s school project, but instead purchased a Kabar combat knife and placed it in Tyler’s bedroom upon returning home.
Jason put the kids to bed, and the following morning, Brandi lured him into Charlee’s bedroom and straddled him before stabbing him. Charlee woke up during the killing and asked what was happening, to which Brandi replied, “nothing” and told her daughter to go back to sleep. She then proceeded to kill Tyler and turned her attention to her daughter.
While Brandi stabbed herself in the neck, she survived, unlike her children. Montgomery County Prosecutor Joe Buser noted that Brandi was “more adept at killing her small, sleeping children than killing herself.”
When asked why she killed her children, Brandi told the 911 dispatcher, “My husband wanted a divorce and wanted to take my kids. I don’t want him to have my kids.”
Jason stayed with Brandi because she attempted to drag the kids into their marital struggles
Jason and Brandi got married in August 2009 and had two children, Tyler in 2009 and Charlee in 2013. However, their marriage was plagued by Brandi’s infidelity and use of the children to manipulate Jason into staying with her. In a now-famous Reddit post on the sub r/relationship_advice, Jason detailed how he started suspecting Brandi of cheating when she put a password on her phone. She then revealed to him that she was building him a home office as a present with their neighbor, a contractor. However, Jason found a flirty text message Brandi sent to the neighbor, which he initially dismissed as innocent.
Eventually, Jason installed software on Brandi’s phone to track her location and read her messages. He discovered a conversation between Brandi and the neighbor in which they professed their love for each other. When he confronted Brandi, she threatened to use his prior suicide attempt to convince authorities that he was unfit for child custody. The next day, Jason returned home to find the children crying, as Brandi had told them that she had to move out because he was angry with her.
Realizing that Brandi would drag the children through hell if he left her, Jason swallowed his feelings and begged her to stay. He feared that if he asked for a divorce, Brandi would become even more vindictive towards him and their children. Unfortunately, Jason’s instincts were correct, as the tragic events that followed demonstrated.
