Funeral Held For 3 Kids Driven Into The Hudson River In Minivan

April 25, 2011 8:00 PM

L-R Laianna and Lance Pierre Armstrong were killed when their mother Lashandra Armstrong drove her minivan into the Hudson River (credit: AP Photo/Youn and Unique Christian Child Care Center)

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SPRING VALLEY, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) — A funeral service was held Monday for the three children who died after their mother drove their car into the Hudson River April 12.

WCBS 880′s Catherine Cioffi: There Were Three Small Caskets

A private family service began at 11 a.m. at the Alphonso E. Brown Funeral Home in Spring Valley, followed by a private burial at 1 p.m. in Congers. Five-year-old Landon, 2-year-old Lance and 11-month-old Laianna were killed when their mother loaded them into a minivan and drove it into the Hudson.

“They look beautiful, it’s sad just looking at them knowing that they’re just gone, they’re not here anymore,” one mourner said.

1010 WINS’ Terry Sheridan Reports: Tensions Erupt At Childrens’ Funeral

According to reports, tensions erupted at the service when a relative of the mother LaShanda Armstrong walked out of the small funeral home saying, “I don’t care. This side of the family matters.”

Three small caskets were loaded into a waiting hearse after the service.

Only the children’s 10-year-old brother LaShaun survived, rolling down a window and swimming to safety. Police said his mother tried to keep him inside the sinking van.

The tragedy stirred up mixed emotions for friends and family of the children, and of their mother, LaShanda Armstrong. She was buried alone on Thursday.

The children’s father Jean Pierre decided not to allow the children to be buried with their mother, opting instead for Monday’s separate service. It was a decision some of LaShanda Armstrong’s family members don’t agree with.

“I’m disappointed, because no matter what these are her children. The funeral plan was for her to be laid at rest with them so nobody should have changed them,” said Channise White, LaShanda’s cousin.

Do you agree with the decision to bury the children apart from their mother? Leave a comment below…

Funeral Held For 3 Kids Driven Into The Hudson River In Minivan

C

Aida – very well said.
littlestar

Why is the headline, ” drowning victims ” ? It should be, murderd drowning victims.

CarmelMan

The father was right to bury his children away from the woman who murderd them. She should have left the chidren with someone and then drove her car into the hudson. She had no right having children knowing that this man wasn’t faithful to her.

Wisdom

Does it really matter if they are buried with the mother or not? Their spirits are not part of those bodies anymore and I’m sure her children are with her in spirit and have forgiven her, after all she was their mother. Unfortunately, she will have to pay for this in karma. How it will play out for her I don’t know, but it will be balanced out somehow probably thru many of her next lives. That’s my thoughts on how GOD operates. There is only HELL for a very few. Most people live their HELL on earth.
Albertine

I totally agree with Pull together. Everyone who has a negative comment about the mother dont really know what then mental state of the could have been and family and friend didnt see any of the sign that there might be something wrong. Who are we to judge. Only God has that right.
R ALLI

IT WAS SO WRONG FOR THE MOTHER TO TAKE THE LIVES OF THOSE INNOCENT KIDS ESPECIALLY FOR SOMEONE WHO DID NOT CARE FOR HER. THE WAY IT HAPPENED I THINK THE KIDS SHOULD HAVE BEEN BURIED WITH THE MOTHER ALTHOUGH IT WAS WRONG OF HER FOR WHAT SHE DID.
Sandy

Since when do murders get to be buried next to their victim(s). No way in *ell would I let that happen to my kid(s).
Connie

Postpartum depression huh. I,m sorry I know all about that and she should have gotten help from somewhere before those poor kids had to suffer. Think how the son will feel for the rest of his life knowing his mother tried to kill him with the others. He will be scarred for life. I totally agree with the dad that he did the right thing with his decision to bury them. My thoughts and prayers are with the survivors.
dd

She should have never had children if she thought the world was so cruel. Wake up and stop procreating!
Joyce

This whole thing is a nightmare. Yes, I agree that Dad had that right.
Tia

God has provided us with His laws and commandments. Thou shall not kill. LaShonda committed murder no matter how you look at it. We as humans don’t need to judge her, her actions prove that she was wrong. The father had every right to have a separate service. Stop blaming the father. The mother had a choice and she made the wrong one. Her relatives are being selfish by making ignorant comments about the father when those are his children. I pray that God deals with the anger in the hearts of her family.

SP

When does it STOP. Will the Mothers family be justified to kill the Fathers family cause they were DISSED? ‘They didn’t let my son in the funeral, nobody mess with my son’ And God forbid anyone intercedes to calm the situation cause they’ll get shot for Not minding there own business. It’s a vicious unstoppable inhumane cycle. You tell me what the solution is.

Boodica

She stopped being a “good mother” the minute she decided to murder her children.

She should have been buried in the closest spot to Hell.

Shamiyah E, Elyakeem

She should have been buried alone because of the dignity of her children in my opinion however, the decision should (and apparently was) the father of the children alone. Any woman that kills her offspring had to be mentally unbalanced. The children or the mother doesnot know with whom they are buried. The father is the one that must be considered. My heart goes out to him. Shamiyah

kat

I agree with Ms. Chocolate.
SUN

EVERYONE IS GODS CHILDREN, EITHER GOOD OR BAD,,,HE MADE US ALL. AND LOVES US…..HE WILL HAVE AND ACCEPT THE THREE ANGELS WITH OPEN WINGS, BUT THERE MOTHER WILL LINGER IN LIMBO AS PUNISHMENT, FOR HARMING GODS CHILDREN.
Pull Together

“Gift with warm hands”. What I mean by that is, pay attention, help, love, give to those when they are alive and in trouble. Not when they are dead. Nobody on either side of the family should be saying a single word except pulling together and saying “Is anybody else in our family in trouble”. I would think they are given what you are making this into. You will experience another tragedy if you do not pull together and take care of each other.
Yvonne J Alvarez

We are not put on this earth to judge it is true but it is also true that no one has the right to murder anyone, I don’t care what the situation was the woman had obvious problems yet she chose to stay in that relationship. Murdering the children was out of spite not depression, she had a family network who were there for her, the child had never made a good decision. May God have mercy on her only he knows what went on but still no reason whatsoever. Ladies there are ways out always a way out.
Lee Roosevelt

Why is it that these “family” members always have something to say and want to act out after the event. Where were they before? Why would you even consider placing the innocents near that disgusting piece of humanity known as LaShonda?
C

This woman may have been their mother, but she killed them. I am a mother of two and no matter how bad things get, I could never imagine myself taking the lives of my children. She chose to stay in that relationship – she could have gotten help if she wanted it. There are tons of places (and free at that) that would have offered her counseling services. Taking her life was bad, but taking the lives of those innocent kids was inexcusable and unforgiveable.
d

I have mixed feelings about the kids being buried with her. I mean she did kill them. I feel bad for everyone involved. I especially feel bad for the Son that made it. How emotionally upset he must be. I hope to God that his family gets him the help that he is so desperately going to need. Because his mother needed help and I am wondering if they ever gave her any?
Ash

honestly the father made the right choice by choosing not to have the kids buried next to the mother because of what she did to them. and If the mother was that messed up before she should of just left the relationship and get help instead of taking innocent lives because of her problems. cause honestly if the guy really loved her he would of Been supportive not everyone in this World is cold hearted, unfair jerk offs
I.H.

Maybe someone should ask the ten year old boy who survived what he wants… but hey hes just a kid and no one ever listens to kids right.
Donald

I agree with the father, those kids should be burried seperate from their mother who to me was unstable to begin with. If the mother was so depressed she could have sought help and or just kiilled herself. I think she killed the kids to hurt and spite the fathers. No excuse for killing those beautiful kids. God bless the 10y/o who was smart and strong enough to escape the sinking car. May God bless him all the days of his life.
And why would you stay with an abusive lover and have 3 children with him? If the relationship was that bad, why didn’t she leave???? That mother was not wraped too tight or not wraped at all!
Cynthia Qasim

I agree with Aida 100%. These innocent children were killed because mom couldn’t handle a relationship she chose. Based on news reports one would assume that the children’s father was not there for his children but only the two of them really know what went on in their relationship. There is nothing that could be so bad that would warrant one to kill three innocent little babies. She is not a victim, she is a murderer. She chose this route when she could have turned to her family for support, or seek counseling or just kill herself for that matter. She made a horrible decision and even in death there should be some consequences. I totally agree with the children’s father. They deserve to have a separate funeral and burial resting place. They do not deserve to rest next to their murderer.
Cynthia

I agree with Aida 100%. These innocent children were killed because mom couldn’t handle a relationship she chose. Based on news reports one would assume that the children’s father was not there for his children but only the two of them really know what went on in their relationship. There is nothing that could be so bad that would warrant one to kill three innocent little babies. She is not a victim, she is a murderer. She chose this route when she could have turned to her family for support, or seek counseling or just kill herself for that matter. She made a horrible decision and even in death there should be some consequences. I totally agree with the children’s father. They deserve to have a separate funeral and burial resting place. They do not deserve to rest next to their murderer.
derrick

Doesnt make a difference, she went to hell and the kids to heaven.

http://ethicalfutures.wordpress.com HooDatIS?

u awful for saying that
visit my blog
http://ethicalfutures.wordpress.com/2011/04/15/robbery-suspect-severly-beaten-by-stlpd/

Aida

That woman does not deserve to have those innocent children buried beside her. I’m tired of reading how people are portraying this woman as a victim, when in fact, she murdered her children. The children’s father may not have been the best father or the loving, devoted boyfriend but to blame him for his kid’s death is ridiculous. She knew what kind of man he was and yet she still CHOOSE to have not one but THREE children by this man. She knew what she was doing that terrible night and had time to change her mind. She didn’t. There were no last minute efforts to try to save her kids. She subjected those poor babies to a horrible death. They suffered and I hope where ever she is, she is suffering too. May God let those three beautiful children rest in peace eternally and give the surviving boy the strength and courage to deal with the events that have taken place in his life.

emman

One of the many factors relating to Domestic violence, Family Violence, or Intimate Partner Violence is the need for the abuser to hold on to the perception of “power”. This should be a wake up call to policy makers who may consider the introduction of a bill that allows for children whose death (parent / child) occurred in an abusive relationship to be buried with their parent when there is an order of protection against the surviving parent who the order was against. In this way, the surviving abusive parent would not be allowed to isolate and victimize his victim(s) in death as was done in life.
Ms. Chocolate

Aida , what Lashonda did was wrong, but you are being really harsh in your words. How can you use God in your words as you wish eternal suffering on someone else. She was suffering from Postpartum Depression, and was not being treated for it. I guess you are a saint. GOD said do not judge. People stop being so critical of others. God is not about suffering and hatred.

lagranoui

In the bible murder is a sin regardless of anybodies opinions. that so called mother will be judged and pay for her crimes and I do believe it wont be accompanying her children through the pearly gates of heaven that is for sure. a child loves and trusts their parents to do what they believe is best for them and i highly doubt that taking their lives was honestly what was best for them but how ever the family chooses to see it in order to cope with their loss is their choice. But in the end she sinned and took their live no reasons medical or mental that anyone can try to offer can excuse her actions and the end results She betrayed her children and will be judged for it…
Aida

I am not a saint but I am also not a murderer either. Having been in the same situation as this “mother” I chose to get help and leave my daughter’s father. Never ONCE did I have any urge to harm my child or use her as a tool to get back at her father. Postpartum depression or not, there is plenty of help that was available to this woman and she choose not to take it. I have no sympathy whatsoever. You are right, GOD is NOT about suffering and hatred that’s what LaShonda was about. Her children suffered a terrible death and her hatred of their father led her to take the life of the innocent. I stand by my original comment.

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Funeral Held For 3 Kids Driven Into The Hudson River In Minivan

April 25, 2011 8:00 PM

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