I saw this on the news during my every morning waking up and can't sleep time and it makes me so sad what these kids must have gone through.
My first thoughts were that it was the mom, only because some of the kids seemed older and if this was some random murder, then they would have had to do it in such a way that the older kids couldn't intervene. I immediately thought that whoever did it, did it in some 'order.'
The holidays are a tough time for people, I am definitely not making excuses for her or whoever did it IN THE LEAST but these things tend to occur around this time of year as it brings out the loneliness and depression in people. And I hope no one goes criticizing the mental health system in Australia because the US is in deep doodoo in this area.