Woman accused of throwing kids in lake charged with murder

A Louisiana woman accused of throwing two of her children into a lake has been indicted on charges of murder and attempted murder.

Ureka Rochelle Black 33, of Shreveport, was charged with second-degree murder in the death of 10-month-old Joshua Calif Black, the Caddo Parish District Attorney’s Office said in a news release Wednesday. Conviction on that charge would bring an automatic sentence of life in prison.

The grand jury that indicted Black on Tuesday also charged her with the attempted second-degree murder of the baby’s 5-year-old brother. Conviction on that charge would be punishable by 10 to 50 years without parole, probation, or suspension of sentence.

Police said both boys were thrown into Cross Lake on Sept. 24, 2021.

Black’s public defender did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment Wednesday.

Black's sisters, Felicia and Pycolyia Black, told KSLA-TV in September that they had been worried about Black’s mental health for some time, but that she refused to get treated.