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Mom accused of killing daughter by shoving crucifix down her throat

OKLAHOMA CITY — An Oklahoma woman accused of killing her daughter by forcing a crucifix down her throat told police she believed the 33-year-old woman had been possessed by the devil.

KFOR-TV reports that police went to the suspect’s Oklahoma City home Saturday afternoon and found Geneva Gomez dead on the ground with a crucifix placed on her chest. Officers say they found Gomez’s body arranged in the shape of a cross.

The Oklahoman reports that Geneva’s ex-boyfriend, Francisco Merlos, discovered the body when he went to the home to check on her. Merlos said he frantically tried to leave, but Juanita Gomez, 49, kept him from escaping. Merlos told the newspaper that he called 911 after managing to get out of the house. A friend waiting outside told Merlos to go back and try to administer CPR.

“I went in there, and I was like I can’t, I can’t do it. I don’t know what to do,” Merlos said. “I walked out the door and that’s when the fire trucks came.”

Court records say Juanita Gomez told police she believed her daughter was possessed by the devil. She said she punched her daughter and forced a crucifix and a religious medallion down her throat.

The woman faces a first-degree murder charge and is being held without bond.

People who know the family said the alleged crime is even more shocking considering the close relationship the mother and daughter had.

“They do their nails, they do their hair, everything (together),” Merlos said.

Jabee Williams, a local musician, said he often saw the mother and daughter, who worked together as massage therapists, at his shows.