A Toronto mother who said she was shattered by grief pleaded guilty Monday to killing her two young sons just days after her husband died, telling the court she believed the family would be “reunited in Heaven.”

According to the New York Post, Vanessa Collias, 27, broke down in tears during the virtual hearing as she admitted to killing 5-year-old Yiannis and 4-year-old Dimitri in December 2023. 

The boys were found dead nine days after Collias’ husband, 72-year-old Costa, succumbed to an aggressive form of leukemia.

According to details reported by the Toronto Star, Collias smothered the children by covering their mouths and noses while singing “You Are My Sunshine.” She then jumped from the balcony of their Toronto apartment in an attempt to take her own life.

Court documents show Collias told a psychiatrist she felt “broken, absolutely alone, and unable to conceive of continuing a life” without her husband. She said she believed that ending all their lives would allow the family to be together again.

During the hearing, Collias apologized through sobs and expressed ongoing emotional turmoil.

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“A part of me will always question why I never said I need help,” she said. “I stand before you, still that broken person who needs help putting herself back together.”

In a direct message to her sons, she said: “To my babies, I love you more than anything. Thank you for showing me what true love is. You guys will forever be my favorite part of me. I am so grateful I got to be your mom. The hardest thing I will ever have to do is to learn to be OK being here without you.”

Collias acknowledged she knew her actions were wrong but hoped the court would understand that she believed she was “saving her sons” as she sought to join her late husband.

Her husband, Costa, died on Dec. 1, 2023. Collias killed the boys on Dec. 10, after months spent as his full‑time caregiver. She said she had become completely overwhelmed.

“I was exhausted from watching him slowly deteriorate before my eyes,” she told the court. After becoming a single mother overnight, she said, “I broke. I couldn’t push no more.”