A mum accused of killing her son and hiding his body in a suitcase faced the charges in court on Tuesday, where her appearance and statements baffled everyone.
Dejaune Anderson, who was sentenced to jail without bail at the end of the appearance, made strange claims about being watched by the government for months before she was caught. More than that, she claimed 'space force' was 'after her' for months. She also refused to respond to her own name and called herself 'Princess' instead.
The 38-year-old was arrested last month and is charged with murder, neglect, and obstruction of justice after her 5-year-old son Cairo's body was found stuffed in a suitcase by a mushroom picker in April 2022.
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She had been on the run for two years after a warrant was issued for her arrest. "I've been under NSA surveillance for the past eight months," Anderson told the judge, "and how can that qualify me as a fugitive on the run when I've also had a detail from Space Force that was following my every move?"
The judge replied: "If Space Force comes forward and tells me they're willing to monitor you, we'll take up the issue of bond at a later time."
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When asked to say her name, she refused, instead telling the judge her name was "Princess," and said she was "representing the entity" of Anderson, according to local news reports.
Anderson wanted to be her own lawyer, but Judge Medlock ordered someone from the public defender's office to represent her. She has to return to court on April 25, and her trial might start in August.
An autopsy revealed Cairo died in the suitcase, sick with vomiting and diarrhoea, which led to dehydration. According to the state police, the little boy died about a week before he was found in the woods.
Another woman involved in this horrifying case made a deal with prosecutors in November. Dawn Coleman, 41 years old from Shreveport, Louisiana, pled guilty to aiding, inducing or causing murder, neglect of a dependent resulting in death, and obstruction of justice. She will spend 30 years in jail and will be eligible for parole eventually.
She was accused of helping Anderson stuff the boy into the suitcase. During the trial, Judge Larry Medlock said: "You packaged Cairo like trash. He was an innocent little boy who wanted to be loved."
Witnesses told investigators that Coleman saw Anderson hurting her son in their house in Louisville.
The post-mortem showed Cairo died from being sick and having diarrhoea which caused him to become dehydrated and have an 'electrolyte imbalance.' Fingerprints on the bin bags used to wrap the boy's body and on the suitcase matched Anderson's.
Anderson was arrested in South Carolina for child endangerment, speeding and failing to stop for officers before her son's death. Coleman was also in the vehicle, but claimed to be her sister. Before Cairo's body was discovered, Anderson was arrested for shoplifting and assault where she punched a security officer in the face.
The pair's phones were detected in Pekin, Indiana, near the wooded area where the suitcase was found.
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CCTV footage showed Anderson's car parked near the woods. It was also seen crossing the bridge from Indiana to Louisville. Coleman at first said she was not guilty. But both women talked about demons and exorcism in their social media posts.
Anderson even asked priest Father Vincent Lampert of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis for help, saying Cairo was possessed. In a tweet, she said: "I have survived the death attacks from my 5-year-old throughout the 5 years he has been alive. I have been able to weaken his powers through our blood. I have his real name and he is 100 years old. Need assistance."
Coleman also called herself "a healer" and used the nickname "Mama Gawd." Before anyone found Cairo's body, Coleman left a chilling post on social media: "Magic is real curses are real and there are some very powerful evil beings here that will curse your womb and then some. Nothing Is what It seems and we are catering to evil beings in children avatars that aren't even children."
Police have described Anderson as being of small build, standing at five feet, five inches tall and weighing around 135 pounds. She has short, dark brown hair, but often alters her appearance with wigs and hair extensions.
Known for her travel habits, she visited San Francisco, San Diego, Las Vegas, and Houston before she was arrested.