An infamous gang of thieves and murderers has finally been brought to justice. The group was al females. The group was led by Jana Marie Armstrong 38 and her five daughters. Janna is so mouth pregnant. Jana intends to for both her twins. The children will be raised by her sister. The group ages of the daughters run the range of ten to 18.
The group lured the victims by
making it look like the car stalled in a. Desolate part of town. The driver would offer to help. The girls then hit the driver over the head with a shovel. The driver was then shot in the head to insure death. The body was buried.
The police did not contact the does at first. They did not realize that this was a serial killing until the third victim. A clear pattern emerged. The killer lured the victim by pretending to be in distress. Then the person was killed. At first, they suspected one killer. They thought the killer was male but was not certain. There was a debate on that point. Some investigators felt that the killer might be female.
The media got wind of it and called the killer the highway killer. The police tried to avoid using that term. In all, they were five victims. All male. The targets were single drivers. Some victims were single, others were Maried. There was no evidence that the victims knew the attackers It was a crime of opportunity.
The crimes spread panic in the nearby area. Everyone was concerned that they might be the next victim. People were getting frustrated. They felt that the police were not doing enough to catch this killer.
Then there was a major break in the case.
Victim number five was still alive. He did die not long after he was found. He was able to make a statement to law enforcement before he died. The man was in a lot of pain. He was able to say a lot. "Tell us what happened!" Detective Nate Branigan said. "I was driving home from work. I saw a lady in her late thirties and her daughters. They had a minivan. Their van seems to be damaged. They flagged me down. They claimed that their van did not start. As I popped the hood, I was struck by the 17-year-old daughter. The mom did me in. " he said.
"You're not going to believe this sir." Detective Brannigan said. "What do we got!" The captain asked. "Victim Joe ender said there was a group of them. Six females in a minivan. He described a woman who was in her late thirties and seemed to be the mom of the kids. There was a girl in her late teens. The youngest seemed to be ten. The rest were in between. They be all in the same family but it is not clear. " detective jim Boreman said.
"We are sure that this is legit?" The captain asked. "He was dying. I doubt that he would lie about this." Nate said. "He had a lot of information. There was a lot of detail," jim said. "A gang of females, maybe a family. " the captain said. "The mom and oldest seem to be the ring leaders. " Nate said.
"A family of killers. " captain ed corner said. "We can't be sure that they are all part of the same family. I think there is a good chance of it. It does make sense. " Nate said.
Working with the FBI, they got a profile of the killers. The mom was in her thirties. She was a single mom, divorced, or possibly a widow. She is driven and controlling. The oldest daughter is a willing participant. An enforcer. Maybe even a co-leader. The rest follow the top two.
They released the information to the media. "In a major break in the case of the highways killer, the police now say the killers are a gang of girls led by women who may be the mother. They drive in a minivan. " the reporter said.
The police checked mini ca owners in the area. They looked for a mom with daughters. They zeroed in on Jana Marie Armstrong. Armstrong was a paralegal. She was a widow. Her husband was a veteran of the war on terror and died of a respiratory virus linked with his work overseas.
She kept to herself. She was a family, oriented person. She started acting erratically after the death of her husband. she started drinking. She did the bar scene. She was shy but a baby before. Now she was withdrawn. Her co-workers noted that she had changed.
17-year-old Marie was her enforcer. Marie had been a daddy's girl. She added her dad. She had been an a.p hornor student. She let her grades slip. She went from being a popular kid to a misfit overnight. Her neighbors were convinced that she has killed a neighborhood cat. It could not be proven. Many dismissed it as gossip.
The other kids were Ashley who was 15. She was learning disabilities but was sweet. The neighbors liked her. Many felt bad for her when her involvement in these crimes was exposed. Ellie was 13, tracy was 11 and Gracie was 10.
The neighbors were stunned. While Marie had some behavioral issues, they were still liked. The family was liked. They felt bad for them. due to what they had gone through due to frank's long illness.
They got a search warrant. They searched the home. The family was not home. There was evidence of blood that belonged to some of the victims. They found a pipe with blood that matched the pipe used to kill the victims. There was plenty of evidence that linked them to this crime.
They got a warrant for their arrest. They discovered that their location was at a birthday party at a donut shop known for catering parties. The police tried to secure the area before they proceed. They hoped to avoid a hostage situation or a potential mass casualty situation.
The police had alerted the manager on duty and the staff fully cooperated. The police went in." hands in the air." brain said. The other parents were shocked. "Janna Marie Armstrong, you are under arrest for five counts of murder and theft," Nate said. He slapped cuffs on her. She did not protest. Her best friend and friend looked on. She assured them that she would be fine.
Marie tried to resist. Detective jim had control of the situation. Jana urged her daughter to cooperate. Ashley cried as she was cuffed. She was scared. She tried to not have a panic attack. The other girls were stuned as they were apprehended.
They were booked at the county jail. Jana was searched and changed into an orange jumpsuit. She had a mug shot. She smiled at her mug shot. She was put in the maximum security section of the jail. She was in good spirits for someone booked for a capital crime.
Marie was booked in the county jail. She was still considered a minor. The d.a intended to try her as an adult. She was changed into an orange jumpsuit. She was put into administrative segregation. She was cooperative with the staff. She did not act like someone who was in deep legal do-do. She laughed and joked with the guards. She eats her food with no fear.
Ashley was booked im. the adult jail. d.a was not sure about her involvement. They were not sure if she would be tried in family court or maybe not even tried at all. They had trouble finding her a uniform that fit. She was placed on a suicide watch. She was listless and withdrawn. she refused to eat. She said little.
Ellie, tracy, and Gracie were sent to an adult facility even though they were well under age. They were in segregation and under strict supervision.
Jana and her kids were arranged in court. Jana pleads not guilty. There was plenty of evidence against her. They had her dead to rights and then some. It was her right to plead not guilty. Marie pleads not guilty. Ashly's lawyer had to plead for her. She could not respond. The other girls were told to say not guilty.
Where this was a capital case, they were denied bail. They were ordered held without bond pending trial. "Your hornor, we request that Ellie, tracy, and Gracie be transferred to a juvenile and the case reverted to the family court." A lawyer said.
"Your hornor, this was a brutal crime. There is evidence that these girls played a key role in this. This is an adult crime and these defendants should be tried in an adult court." The district attorney said.
There was a hearing. The defense argued that they played minor roles and that they did not understand what they were doing. The prosecution detailed the crime and the evidence that linked them to the crime. the judge ordered them tried as adults.
They considered seeking the death penalty against Jana. The evidence suggested that Marie was the ring leader. They linked mare and the other girls to two other murders without Janna. Jana was a late addition to the gang as it was. Jana was subservient to her. Jana was pregnant with twins.

Jana was put on trial and was convicted. She was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. She did not cry or scream during her sentence. She appeared fine.
Marie was put on trial. The prosecution presented her as a cold-blooded psychopath. Her lawyers tried to portray her as a minor player. A pawn. They tried to put the blame fully on mom. The prosecution was able to show that done. She was convicted. She was given a life sentence without the possibility of parole.
Ashly's lawyers tried to argue that she was not competent to stand trial. The judge found that she was competent. Her lawyers tried to argue that she was an unwilling participant. The evidence showed she was partially brutal. She killed two of the victims. She was convicted and sentenced to life in prison.
The girls were tried and convicted. They were given filthy years to life. It was decided that the family could be housed together at the same facility. They were given their cell. The younger had to have custom-made uniforms. The adults had blue scrubs. The younger did not fully understand what was going on. they got to have classes via zoom. Ashley and mia got their g.e.d. Mia had gotten early acceptance to several prominent colleges before her arrest.
Jana gave birth to healthy twin girls. Her sister took custody of the girls. Jana was able to see her daughters. She got to talk to them through a video confronting system. It was expensive but she wanted access to her kids.

Jana tried to make the best of it. As did the others. The lawyers for the kids planned to appeal their client's conviction. They would argue that adult court was the wrong venue. Many felt that they may have a case..there was a chance that they might be released. Time would tell.
Notes
This is in no. way reflective of reality. In the real world, the younger kids would probably be in family court.