A second grader who loved walking with his dad to the comic book store.

A kindergartner interested in My Little Ponies and with a love of swimming.

Noah and Sophia Murphy, whose lives were cut decades too short in a grisly crime that has left even the officers who found them reeling, were laid to rest on Monday.

They were found dead Oct. 17 in what police called an "extremely gruesome" crime scene at a home in central Colorado Springs.

Their alleged murderer, their brother, told detectives he had been planning to kill his entire family for months.

Police responded to 912 Carlisle just after 1 a.m. on the 17th on reports of a stabbing. What they found was "horrific," said Colorado Springs police Lt. Howard Black.

"Upon arrival, officers found three individuals stabbed inside the residence," he told 11 News.

Police say Sophia and Noah, just 5 and 7 years old, were stabbed by 19-year-old Malik Murphy, their big brother. He then allegedly turned his knife on his father, later identified as 42-year-old Jefferson Murphy.

The victims were all transported to the hospital following desperate life-saving attempts by first responders, but only the father survived.

Even for hardened professionals, the sight of two children wounded in that way was difficult for everyone involved, Black told 11 News.

"This is a very horrific scene, not only for our officers who were performing life-saving measures, but also for the fire department and AMR crew, and we can never forget the emergency room and dealing with a 5-year-old and a 7-year-old."

Marcus Mason, Murphy's uncle, says hours before they were killed, the suspect was playing football in the yard with his little brother and sister.

"We are living the worst nightmare, the worst nightmare, and I've been wanting to just wake up and snap out of it. This can't be real,” Mason said.

According to arrest papers obtained by 11 News, the father told police he was sleeping in his bedroom when he woke up to screaming in the basement. When he went to check it out, his son allegedly began stabbing him with a knife.

The father began to fight with Murphy until he was able to detain him in the garage until police arrived on scene.

"I'm so thankful Sophia saved the day. She ruined his plan by screaming. If it wasn't for her, Vinnie wouldn't have woke up. When they told me what he did to her. She messed his plan up. He was going to go through the children downstairs, then go upstairs,” Mason said.

The arrest papers go on to say an interview was conducted with Murphy by a detective. Murphy told the detective he often had "homicidal ideations." He said he wanted to live alone at the home and he purchased a knife several months ago with the plan to kill his family. Murphy told the detective his plan was to kill his entire family and bury them in the backyard.

"They were seeking help for him and trying to do what they could for their child. So Malik doing this is just -- I don't even know how to put it into words. He took something so precious from our family ... we're never going to be the same and we're not going to let this destroy us. We want to honor them and we have faith in God,” Mason said.

"Nobody deserves what happened to them. When I think about it, it just tears me up. That they had to go out terrified with a family member doing that to them."

Murphy now faces two counts of first-degree murder.

Other family members were home during the stabbing spree but not hurt. Black said they called 911 while the attack was unfolding.

"Just how difficult this is for our first responders ... not to mention our communications center who is on the phone with family members as this is occurring and happening," Black said.

Police are not looking for anybody else in connection with the crime.

"Any death is difficult that our officers, fire department crews deal with, but when you're talking about two young children, it's hard to put into words. It's very, very difficult for our staff," Black said.

Murphy is being held without bail on suspicion of two counts of first-degree murder. He appeared in court by video on Wednesday wearing handcuffs and a suicide mock. The mock is a thick-padded garment that prevents Murphy from hurting himself.

Court records show Murphy was arrested earlier this year on charges of criminal damage to property. The Effingham, Illinois newspaper reported at the time that Murphy allegedly set fire to his parents' SUV. The charges were later dismissed; the prosecutor told local media outlets that there were some mental health concerns with Murphy.

Sophia and Noah's deaths mark the 22nd and 23rd homicides of the year being investigated by the Colorado Springs Police Department. Last year at this time, police had investigated 16 homicides.

A vigil was held for the two children at 6 p.m. in Flanagan Park. More than a dozen people gathered and lit candles honoring their memory.

The Murphy family wants to thank the community for the outpouring of love and support during this tough time.

The children's funeral was held at Mountain Springs Church, the church where they enjoyed going to Bible study classes.

A family member sent 11 News the following statement:

We would first like to thank God for his love and strength during this horrific time for our family. No family is ever prepared to handle the death of a child; let alone two children, in such a manner. We wish to thank all of our family, friends, church, and the entire community for their outpouring of support, sympathy, and love following the terrible tragedy that took the lives of our precious Noah and Sophia. The senseless attack that took place early Tuesday morning was completely unprovoked and took place when the entire family was sleeping. Prior to this event, Malik never demonstrated any suspicious or threatening behavior towards his siblings. Malik was a loving, also accommodating, and supportive brother and son. We are a very close knit family that did everything together, which is why this has been a complete shock. As we search for answers and peace, we ask for your patience, love, and prayers as we delicately navigate our way forward in our new reality. It is all of the phone calls, texts messages and social media posts that bring us comfort and help us to get through each day. Please know that we have received them and are responding to them as quickly as we can. We sincerely appreciate all the help we have received thus far and all of the offers we have received to help. It has filled our heart with such love and appreciation from all the outpouring of love and prayers from a community we have only lived in, as a family, for three years. God bless you and we will be putting out a formal statement in the coming weeks. The Murphy Family

Instead of flowers, the family is suggesting memorial contributions be made to the church or Edison Elementary School, according to the children's obituary.

RIGHT NOW: Update from police on triple stabbing that killed two small children in Colorado Springs neighborhood. Police now tell us the 19-year-old in custody is the older brother to the 5 and 7-year-old victims, and the son of the man who survived the stabbing. Posted by KKTV 11 News on Tuesday, October 17, 2017

Links Noah and Sophia Murphy obituary

