She Gave Them Life, Then She Took It
Review by Kim Cantrell
From the book cover: What kind of mother would kill her own six children, plus another in care? What kind of doctors and law enforcers would let her do away with victim after victim, year after year?…Remember the movie Groundhog Day starring Bill Murray where his day just kept repeating?
The case of Diana Lumbrera, the mother who killed ALL six of her children plus a relative’s six-week-old baby, is very similar.
Lumbrera has a baby. Anywhere between 2 months and 5 years, the child allegedly stops breathing. Lumbrera rushes to the nearest emergency room with said child. Said child dies. Only thing observed is a small amount of blood dispensing from the child’s nose. Cause of death undetermined; generally given a “wastebasket” label such as SIDS or septicemia.
Repeat six more times.
I had a difficult time putting down Mommy’s Little Angels. The story of Diana Lumbrera is disgusting yet intriguing tale; one that leaves readers repeatedly asking, “Why?” and “How?”
It seems that author Mary Lou Cavenaugh obtained most of the story from law enforcement officials, court documents, and personal observations from attending the trial. And with no in-depth background information provided about Diana Lumbrera or any other key players involved, it leaves readers with a feeling that Cavenaugh dropped the ball on doing her own research.
Would I recommend it? Sure. Although a little lacking in some important facts, Mommy’s Little Angels is a fast-paced, well-written book about a crime that, in every detail, is unfathomable.
Updates on Diana Lumbrera: Released from the Kansas Department of Corrections on June 30, 2005, Lumbrera was immediately transferred to the custody of the Texas Deparment of Corrections to serve her life sentence for crimes committed in that state. The first date she will be eligible for parole is September 8, 2013.
