Witchcraft Ritual Allegedly Tied to Pensacola Triple Murder - What is a 'Blue Moon'?

An elderly mother and her two sons were found dead in their Pensacola, Florida home last week.

According to USA Today, are said to be victims of a ritualistic murder tied to witchcraft.

In a news conference on Tuesday, Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan said that investigators already interviewed the person of interest for the case (whose name has been withheld by the police) who is a known "witchcraft" practitioner.

More than that, the circumstances of the murders were believed to be part of some sort of ritual.

Morgan said, "Initial research has led us to believe it was a ritualistic killing. The method of the murder - blunt force trauma, slit throats, positioning of bodies - and our person of interest has some ties to a faith or religion that is indicative of that."

Robbery as a potential motive has also been ruled out, as a safe with "substantial amount of cash" was found at the house.

But why then? Morgan concludes that the time of death of the victims coincided with this year's blue moon, which usually occurs every three years.

A blue moon - beliefs and religion withstanding - is the second full moon in a calendar month, as what happened in July. The first full moon of the month occurred on July 2, and the second on July 31.

The victims - 77-year-old Voncile Smith and her sons, John William, 49 and Richard Thomas, 47 - were found in their home on Friday during a welfare check.

They were reportedly killed with a hammer and slit throats. Richard Thomas, a Department of Homeland Security Employee, was also found with a gunshot wound to the head.

Based on the medical examiner's report, WTSP News said that the victims were believed to have been killed around 7PM last Tuesday.

The family is said to be "reclusive" and because there is no evidence of a forced entry, the investigators believed that the murderer may be known to the family.

Police are still continuing their investigation and the sheriff's office is still waiting for the results of the lab tests performed on the pieces of evidence found in the home.

More details will be released when made available by the investigators and the Sheriff County Department.

A neighbor of the Smiths, Ken Lester told WECT, "It's frightening to think about. Especially when you have small children. To find out that it was this weird, satanic cult, witchcraft whatever, is just really unsettling."