A sad, shocking confession in court Tuesday as an Elkhart County mother pleads guilty to murdering her four children, all under the age of 12.

Last November, 27-year-old Angelica Alvarez' husband found her unconscious in their home and four children dead.

Alvarez will now serve life in prison in exchange for her guilty plea.

After learning the disheartening details of this case, some say life in prison is no exchange for a crime so gruesome.

While a mother walks in to court and pleads guilty to murdering her four children, ages 2, 4, 6, and 8--two fathers, who lived doors away from her wonder why.

Jermaine Jackson says, “One minute to see them there and the next they're gone. It's heartbreaking, terrible. They didn't even have a chance to see what middle school or high school was like.”

Ian Tomlinson says, “Anyone who can kill their kids, in my opinion doesn't deserve to live.”

Their hearts go out to Fernando Valdez, Angelica Alvarez' husband whose world has crumbled.

In court, Alvarez admitted to taking her four children in the basement, giving them sleeping pills, and one by one choking them to death. Then, she tried to hang herself.

Prosecuting Attorney Curtis Hill admits even though he thinks a plea bargain was the best answer, it was not an easy decision to make.

Hill says, “I'd be hard pressed to find you very many circumstances in which a case called for the death penalty more. Even if we sought a death penalty and received it, we're talking about serving several years of wrangling through the appellate courts and determining whether or not she possessed the mental capacity for a death penalty situation.”

Defense attorneys say after seeing Alvarez' tears in court and having many discussions with her, she is sorry for what she did and a letter she wrote explained her remorse.

Juan Garcia Jr. says, “The issue was not only did she want to kill herself, but her four children. Basically, she thought her children were better off in heaven. I know it sounds odd to you and me, but that's where she was mentally at that point.”

Alvarez is here illegally. She is from Mexico. But, the prosecuting attorney says since the crime was committed here, she will serve her punishment here--life in prison without parole.

Alvarez will be sentenced on Thursday, September 27th.