A Florida mother is facing murder charges after police say she told them she was trying to “exorcise demons” from her 6-year-old son before his tragic death.
On May 30th, a deputy from the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office visited the Fort Pierce home of 41-year-old Rhonda Paulynice to check on her son, Ra’myl Pierre, who hadn’t been to school in over two weeks. When the deputy arrived, Paulynice led him inside, where they found the young boy dead in his bed.
Authorities believe Ra’myl died back on May 18th, though an autopsy is pending. Due to how long his body remained undisturbed, investigators couldn’t immediately determine the cause of death.
Paulynice later told detectives she believed she was acting on instructions from God.
“What we did learn in speaking with the mother is she believes she was being told by God to basically exorcise demons out of the child’s body,” said Sheriff Richard Del Toro. “And when the child had stopped moving and basically passed away, at that point she felt that the child had been released from those demons.”
Detectives also learned May 18th was the last time she communicated with her son.
Paulynice displayed erratic behavior during the investigation, from laughing to crying, Del Toro added.
She’s now charged with second-degree murder, failing to report a death, and tampering with the body. She’s being held on $150,000 bond.
Del Toro remembered Ra’myl as a bright light: “This kid just lit the room up, and was loved by everybody.”
