Mother Acquitted In 2 Girls’ Death

A mother accused of smothering her two little girls in order to be with her new boyfriend was found innocent Friday, hours after testimony that tended to support her tale of a murderous burglar.

The jury sided with Susan Stark, 24, who said a masked man broke into her townhouse last year, tied her to her bed, then killed her daughters when they started crying. She could have faced the death penalty if the jury had found her guilty.

Testimony earlier in the day had bolstered Stark’s claim, including that from her ex-husband, Derek Stark, who said he found her tied to her bed the night of the killings. Christina Marie Stark, 4, and Ashley Brooke Stark, 18 months, were killed two days after their parents’ divorce.

Stark told police an intruder surprised her in bed, tied her to the headboard and killed the girls when he heard crying. She notified her ex-husband moments later by telephoning his beeper at a nightclub where he was having drinks with another woman.

He said that his former wife was still tied up when he arrived at the condominium. Their daughters were dead in their beds.

Prosecutors contended Stark wanted the girls out of the way because she had a new boyfriend.