Lashanda Armstrong had become mentally incapable of taking care of her children. The 25-year-old mother of four committed an atrocious act after getting into an argument with the father of her youngest three children, Jean Pierre.
According to reports, Armstrong stormed out of her home and drove away with her four children in her minivan on April 12. She drove toward the Hudson River, accelerated off a boat ramp and plunged into the river.
Armstrong and her 5-year-old, 2-year-old and 11-month-old drowned. But her 10-year-old son was able to climb out of the van, swim out of the Hudson River and save himself. A passerby found the dazed, almost incoherent boy and took him to a nearby fire station.
This traumatic experience most likely will affect him for the rest of his life, and it will be important for him to undergo counseling to deal with his feelings and to help him repair emotionally.
His mother could have used similar treatment. Armstrong, who attended community college and worked, was dealing with the pressures of being a single mother with very little help. Her depression and mental instability caused her to do the unthinkable. –a.r.
