Mother says 4 dead girls had demons

A mother found in her home with the decomposing bodies of her four daughters was charged with murder after reportedly telling investigators that the children were possessed by demons and died in their sleep.

Banita Jacks, 33, was charged with four counts of first-degree murder and appeared in District of Columbia Superior Court.

She told police that the deaths occurred before a utility turned off her electricity, which prosecutors said was in September, according to charging documents.

The bodies of the girls -- ages 5, 6, 11 and 17 -- were found Wednesday when deputy U.S. marshals served an eviction notice at the apartment in southeast Washington.

Jacks told investigators that the children were possessed by demons and began dying in their sleep, one by one, within a seven-day period, documents say.

She also said she had not fed her children for a substantial time before their deaths.