PHOENIX — Rachel Henry, the Valley mother arrested by Phoenix police in 2020, has recently pleaded guilty to murdering her three children.
Online court records show Henry, 27, pleaded guilty to three counts of first-degree murder on Dec. 12 in Maricopa County Superior Court. She's scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 14.
During a status hearing on Thursday, a judge said the plea agreement states Henry will be sentenced to a term of natural life in prison for each of the three first-degree murder counts. The three natural life sentences will run consecutively. The state, in turn, has agreed to dismiss its notice of intent to seek the death penalty against Henry.
VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL: Mujer del Valle se declara culpable de asesinar a sus 3 hijos en el 2020
In January 2020, police officers responded to a residence near 24th Street and Southern Avenue where three young children were found deceased. Henry allegedly admitted to smothering her kids to death.
Phoenix police identified the three deceased children as 3-year-old Zane Henry, 1-year-old Miraya Henry and 7-month-old Catalaya Rios.
After Henry's arrest, a relative set up a video call with the mother and asked Henry why she killed the children.
"I didn’t know what was going on. I told you I felt like I was losing my mind, because I didn’t understand why you guys, why everyone was acting the way they were," Henry responded in the video call.