Police: Suspect in family slayings was boyfriend

COLUMBUS, Ga. (AP) - A Georgia police chief says a suspect charged with killing a woman and her three young children was the woman's live-in boyfriend, and likely the children's father.

Police found 29-year-old Jerrica Spellman and her children, including an infant girl, stabbed in a Columbus apartment late Wednesday. They charged 27-year-old Travane Brandon Jackson with four counts of murder.

Columbus Police Chief Ricky Boren told reporters Thursday that Jackson and Spellman lived together. He said there was "an ongoing domestic violence relationship" between them.

All three children share Jackson's last name, and Boren said police believe the suspect was their father. Their ages ranged from 1 month to 3 years old.

Boren says police recovered what they believe was the weapon used in the killings, but he declined to comment further on the investigation.

It's unclear if Jackson has an attorney who can speak for him.