Mother who drowned her 3 young children at Coney Island sentenced to 20 years to life in prison

By Ray Sanchez, CNN

(CNN) — A New York woman was sentenced Wednesday to 20 years to life in prison for drowning her three young children in the ocean and leaving their wet, sand-covered bodies along the shoreline near their home in Coney Island.

Erin Merdy, 34, pleaded guilty in March to three counts of first-degree murder in the killings of her children – Zachary Merdy, 7; Liliana Stephens Merdy, 4; and Oliver Bondarev, 3 months old – on September 12, 2022, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said in a statement.

Merdy’s attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“Zachary, Liliana and Oliver were innocent children whose lives were taken in the most heartbreaking and unthinkable way,” Gonzalez said in the statement.

“We sought the strongest possible accountability in this devastating case, and while nothing can bring these children back, this sentence ensures the defendant will be held responsible for taking their lives.”

Prosecutors said Merdy took the children to the beach about 12:37 a.m. that night nearly four years ago and drowned them. At about 1:25 a.m., she walked from the beach toward the apartment of the father of the youngest child and called family members. She was upset and would not answer questions about where the children were, according to the statement. The father and family members went to look for her and called 911.

At about 4:30 a.m. police found the children, unresponsive and wet, on the Coney Island shoreline, according to the statement. They were pronounced dead at Coney Island Hospital. Prosecutors said family members found Merdy wet and barefoot in nearby Brighton Beach. She told them the children were gone and she was sorry.

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CNN’s Mark Morales and Alaa Elassar contributed to this report.