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The U.S. Sun EXCLUSIVE
Oct 14 2020, Updated: Oct 15 2020,
A MOTHER suspected of murdering her five-year-old son appeared “normal” and said it was “good he’s out of his misery now” moments after allegedly killing him, according to the child’s devastated father.
Jennifer Joseph, 40, is being held on suspicion of stabbing and then drowning her five-year-old son Devon in their Philadelphia home on Monday night. The mom and son were home alone at the time, according to police.
Devon, 5, with his parents Donald and Jennifer Joseph
Devon died in hospital on Monday
Jennifer Joseph had been struggling with mental health issues, according to her husband.
In an exclusive interview with The Sun, Devon’s dad Donald Joseph said that he found his child’s slain body floating in the bath when he arrived home from work around 10pm. Devon was face down and had a cut on his neck, according to police.
“This is so hard for me (to talk about),” Donald said, less than 24 hours after making the horrific discovery.
According to Donald, Jennifer appeared calm and said just one thing to him as he tried to reconcile what had happened. “She basically said: ‘It’s good he’s out of his misery now’,” Donald told The Sun.
Devon Joseph was “loved” by his family, including his grandparents (pictured)
Devon Joseph was “loved” by his family, including his grandparents (pictured)Credit: Facebook
He doesn’t understand what she meant by that because Devon “loved his mom and she loved him”, he said.
“I still don’t know what happened,” Donald continued.
“I never thought she’d hurt him.
“If I had any idea about that obviously I wouldn’t have let him be alone with her.
“He was a very special boy, a loved boy who played piano and was so intelligent.”
Medics soon arrived and performed CPR on the child before he was rushed to hospital where he was pronounced dead a short time later.
Investigators said they are treating the incident as a homicide and an attempted suicide. Jennifer – who had self-inflicted stab wounds to her wrist – is in a stable condition. She will remain in custody after being treated for her injuries in hospital, police said.
Donald told The Sun that Jennifer had been battling anxiety and depression and had stopped taking her medication in September. He said she became increasingly agitated and aggressive and quickly started spiraling into a “dark” place.
According to Donald, Jennifer suffered the first of “two episodes” when she allegedly threatened to kill him and her parents in September.
“She was getting darker and said ‘we’re all going to die’,” Donald said.
“I was going to die and her parents were going to die.
“My only concern was that she would do something to me, I never imagined she’d do something to hurt him.”
Devon was the “one person she was always calm around”, Donald said.
“When I left that day everything seemed normal.”
Devon when he was a baby
According to her husband, Jennifer’s concerned family had been trying to get her professional medical help and she had agreed to be admitted to hospital on Monday. But a conflict in schedules caused them to postpone her admission, Donald said.
Earlier in the day, Devon had attended school and then met a friend before going on a bike ride with his mother.
“She was the sweetest mom to Devon,” Donald said.
“I was stricter and harder on him and she was always the more sensitive and caring one.
“She never hit him.”
But ultimately, she allegedly did much worse, Donald said.
Police outside the apartment building where Devon’s body was found on Monday night
Police outside the apartment building where Devon’s body was found on Monday night
The little boy was rushed to hospital but died on arrival.
Neighbor, Kyle – who was friendly with the family but didn’t want his last name published, told The Sun he heard an “intense scream from a woman” and “hollering” around 11pm on Monday.
“I thought it was a drunken person or something of that nature,” he said.
It wasn’t until the next morning when he saw news trucks outside the building that he learned what had happened.
“There were no red flags,” he said.
“Not a single red flag.
“She seemed like a good parent. A nice lady. She was always with the child. She seemed very attentive. I saw the father a lot and he was always nice. He would drop the child off at school.”
Monica Harris, who lived opposite the family until recently – was in tears over the tragedy on Tuesday afternoon.
“She was a good woman. A good mom. A good friend,” Monica told The Sun.
“She loved Devon. He was her life. I can’t believe what happened. I just screamed “NO” when I heard what happened. I loved little Devon, I’d call him ‘my little man’.
“They were the perfect neighbors. I didn’t know she was going through this. She was the sweetest person. They were a good family with a lot of love.”
Jennifer worked in finance at the University of Penn Hospital, according to Monica.
“Devon used to go to daycare when she worked but they closed it down because of Covid.
“She’s been stuck at home – in quarantine – for months.
“She always had encouraging words and loved Maya Angelou … she’d send me her quotes and they always helped.
“I am devastated. I wish I had have known something was wrong.”
Outside the building on Tuesday, neighbors left tributes for Devon, including blue balloons, candles and messages.
Jessica Perez, who lives on the same street as the Josephs, placed a handmade sign on the doorstep – which read “RIP little angel” – because she “wanted to honor the little guy”.
“I know the dad is probably still going to come by and I just want him to know his son is being remembered,” she said.