Woman accused of drowning children makes first court appearance in Houston

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Sheborah Thomas appeared before a judge for the first time since she was charged with drowning her son and daughter in a bathtub in their Third Ward home.

The 30-year-old mother appeared looking very different from her recent mugshot, without her blond weave.

As the judge read Thomas her rights, her attorney, Alvin Nunnery, put his arm around her shoulder, holding her tightly. Thomas signed papers saying she understood her rights. Then, Nunnery asked the court respect Thomas' Fifth Amendment right, requesting from this point forward "no government agency interview her." The judge did not approve or deny the request, simply stated it was on the record.

Nunnery previously told abc13 Thomas was undergoing "mental evaluations" while in jail. We tried to ask him about the tests, but he did not make himself available to reporters.

VIDEO: Woman alleged confesses to drowning her two kids

The Houston woman accused of drowning two children was previously arrested for theft and failure to identify to a police officer.

Last week, Thomas's attorneys said she was undergoing a mental evaluation, and that she was having trouble sleeping. Thomas was described as being in a catatonic state.

Investigators say Thomas drowned 7-year-old son Araylon and 5-year-old daughter Kayiana in the bathtub of their Third Ward home before hiding the bodies underneath their neighbor's home next door.

VIDEO: HPD reveals details of double homicide in Third Ward

A Houston Police Department spokesperson reveals details about the tragic death of two children believed to have been killed by their mother.

A mother is awaiting her first court appearance for accusations of killing her kids.

Thomas allegedly asked a friend to help her move after he saw her throwing some belongings into a nearby field. When he asked about her children,

Thomas is accused of saying she had killed them. Thomas's friend thought she was joking, but when she allegedly told him he killed the children a second time, he took her to a Houston police station.

VIDEO: CPS visited home before kids' bathtub death

A man close to Sheborah Thomas sheds light on what happened in the day leading up to when she allegedly drowned two of her children in the tub.

We have since learned that in 2012, Thomas temporarily lost custody of the children after one of them was found wandering the streets with an intoxicated homeless man.

The day before Thomas allegedly killed her children, a family friend says Child Protective Services and Houston police also stopped to pay the family a visit.

The woman's sister-in-law says she does not understand why this has happened, and that Thomas has never behaved in such an erratic manner.

VIDEO: Court documents reveal new details about kids' death

Court documents reveal new alleged details in the deaths of two children. Courtney Fischer reports.

VIDEO: Neighbor shocked after children's bodies were hidden under his home

Neighbor shocked after children's bodies were hidden under his home.

Now the family are left to cope as they prepare to bury Araylon and Kayiana on Saturday.

Later today, we hope to bring you new details in this heartbreaking case. We're following this story on Eyewitness News. Watch for updates on air, online and on our mobile news app.

VIDEO: Surveillance video shows mother day after she allegedly drowned kids

Surveillance video provided exclusively to Eyewitness News shows Sheborah Thomas the day after she allegedly drowned her two children.

PHOTOS: Mothers with a deadly past

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