Mother charged with capital murder in deaths of two children in Layton

LAYTON — Neighbors say the signs of domestic violence were evident.

Police admit they had been to the house in recent weeks and that "domestic violence issues" were part of their investigation.

Now, some are questioning whether the deaths of two children — allegedly by the hands of their mother — could have been prevented if people had paid attention to the possible warning signs.

"This whole community, we've failed those kids," neighbor Coleen John said, wiping away tears.

Police discovered the bodies of James Warhola, 8, and his sister Jean Warhola, 7, Wednesday afternoon in the boy's bedroom, which had been barricaded by a bed pushed up against the door.

Their mother, Sun Cha Warhola, 44, who was also in the room, was charged Thursday with two counts of aggravated murder, a capital offense, for allegedly killing the children during the "commission or attempted commission of child abuse."

"Distinct ligature marks" discovered on the children's necks were consistent with strangulation, the charges state. The Utah State Medical Examiner's Office will determine the official causes of death. There were no signs of a weapon being used, Layton Police Lt. Quinn Moyes said.

Both the children and their mother had multiple wounds on their arms and legs that police say appear to be defensive wounds, indicating a struggle.

"It's very tragic," Moyes said. "We're trying to piece together what went wrong."

The Deseret News contacted the children's grandfather Paul Warhola in New York. He said the family was in grief, but he would not offer any other comments.

The tragedy began to unfold about 5:45 p.m. Wednesday when Kenneth Warhola, 46, arrived home, 2184 N. Snoqualmie Circle, after work but did not immediately find his family in the house. He went to the children's bedrooms and found the doors closed and blocked from the inside. His wife, however, was inside. "She told him to give her 10 minutes before coming into the room," according to charges filed Thursday in 2nd District Court.

When Kenneth Warhola returned several minutes later, the door to his son's bedroom was still barricaded. He pushed it open.

"His wife was inside, and she asked him not to look at the children who were lying on the bed covered with a blanket," the charges state.