On the night of March 16, 1938, in Center, Texas, 38-year-old Lillie Mae Curtis carried out a tragic act that resulted in the deaths of six of her nine children. After kissing her children goodnight, she waited for them to fall asleep before proceeding to shoot each one in the heart with a .22 caliber pistol. The victims were Thomas "T.O." Curtis, who had turned 13 just three days prior; Gloria Gene, 11; Billie Burk, 9; Robert, 8; Margie Dee, 7; and Marcia Jack, 5.
Her 15-year-old son, Travis James, was spared and was the one who alerted the authorities after Lillie Mae confessed to him.
Upon arrival, Sheriff J.B. Sample found the six children deceased in their beds. Lillie Mae was discovered alone in the woods approximately 400 yards from the family home. She was taken into custody without resistance. District Attorney Wardlow Lane filed six murder charges against her. Notably, Lillie Mae was already under a five-year suspended sentence for the 1935 shooting death of her husband, Robert Curtis, 44.
In her statement to the authorities, Lillie Mae expressed that she had no money and believed her children were "better off dead." She indicated that she spared Travis James because he was capable of taking care of himself. Justice of the Peace Ben Eddins returned an inquest verdict of "death at the hands of Lillie Mae Curtis" for each child.
This tragic event shocked the local community and drew attention to Lillie Mae's prior conviction, highlighting the complexities of her personal circumstances leading up to the incident.
