Family: We support Phoenix mom accused of killing 3 sons

The family of Octavia Rogers, the Phoenix woman accused of murdering her three young sons this month, announced Monday that they support and will back her in what will likely be a “marathon” through the criminal justice system.

Rogers, 29, is held on suspicion of first-degree murder in the stabbing deaths of her three sons: 8-year-old Jaikare Rahaman, 5-year-old Jeremiah Adams and 2-month-old Avery Robinson.

“I just think you guys need to know that my daughter loved her kids,” Rogers’ mother, Tanella McCoy, told reporters Monday morning outside Maricopa County Superior Court in downtown Phoenix. “She is a very beautiful person. … She loved her boys unconditionally.”

The press conference was assembled by victims’ family attorney Benjamin Taylor, who said the family wanted to express their gratitude for the outpouring of public support. Taylor read various statements from family members, but he declined to address specifics of the case.

“We have a long road ahead of us and struggle every day with trying to cope and rebuild,” Taylor read. “Given the circumstances, we love and support Octavia unconditionally.”

About 10 of Rogers’ family members and supporters flanked Taylor as he spoke, many clutching framed photos of Rogers and her boys.

In the early morning hours of June 2, Phoenix police discovered the boys’ bodies partially dismembered and stuffed in a closet at Rogers’ home in north Phoenix. Avery, the youngest, was in a suitcase. Officers had been called after Rogers' brother found her stabbing herself and later attempting to drown herself.

Sherry Spooney, Rogers’ aunt, said it’s unclear if the family will ever get answers.

“I don’t think it’s for us to understand why,” Spooney said. “At some point we’d like to, but if we never understand why, it's tragic and we'll just have to accept what has been given to us.”

McCoy, the boys’ grandmother and the owner of the north Phoenix home where they lived, said she’s planning to stand by her daughter throughout her court proceedings.

“I’m ready for the fight,” she said. “ 'Cause that’s my baby. And I love my daughter.”

She spoke about each of the boys: Jaikare, who was so excited that he just learned to read; Jeremiah, who did the heavy lifting for his grandmother; and baby Avery, whom McCoy helped deliver two months earlier.

“Nobody knows what happened, and nobody will ever understand,” she said.

The family asked that anyone wishing to contribute to the family’s relief fund donate to a Bank of America account, no. 457034789102.

Rogers has not yet been officially charged with any crime. She has been held at Maricopa County jail since being released from the hospital last week.

Police have said she declined to speak with investigators about the boys’ death.