Mother suffocated her disabled daughter

NORTH COLLINS, N.Y. (WIVB) - They called it a "house of horrors." Eva Cummings admitted to the suffocation murder of her mentally disabled daughter at their North Collins home. A family lawsuit claims Erie County shares part of the blame.

Eva Cummings pleaded guilty to the torture and murder of 26-year-old Laura Cummings, the brutal end to years of abuse, a tragedy many have said could have been prevented.

In a soft voice, 51-year-old Eva Cummings admitted in open court to murdering 26-year-old Laura on January 21st, at their home in North Collins, by tying her daughter to a chair, putting a hood over her head, and smothering her with her bare hands.

>>>Eva Cummings and her son, Luke Wright, face disturbing charges. There are more details available here.

Cummings is charged with her son, Luke Wright, in the assault and murder of Luke's half sister, over a period of years. Cummings also admitted to endangering the welfare of her developmentally disabled daughter as a hate crime.

Erie County District Attorney Frank Sedita said, "Eva Cummings' own hatred for her daughter, which was a hatred that was based upon her feelings about her daughter being mentally challenged. Bottomline is: it's sick. It is just sick."

Laura Cummings' other siblings have filed a wrongful death notice against Erie County, accusing county officials of failing to protect Laura from years of abuse, leading to her murder.

The family's attorney, Terrance Connors, said, "They want to find out what happened, what broke down in the system, where did it go wrong? And shine a light on those activities so they don't ever occur again."

Eva Cummings' defense attorney, Joseph Terranova, said, "A number of people have said there were signs along the way that could have prevented this tragedy from happening. There were hundreds of signs along the way. Laura would run away repeatedly. The sheriffs would bring her back. Individuals in the community saw what was going on."

Eva Cummings returns for sentencing on November 16, and faces a maximum of 52 years to life in prison. Prosecutors will strongly recommend that Eva Cummings spend the rest of her life behind bars.