John Jefferson
Background: The apartment building where police say a Seattle mom beat her son to death for not finishing his chores (KOMO/YouTube). Inset: Public defender Zelena Jones arguing for the release of the Seattle mom who allegedly beat her son to death over not finishing his chores (KOMO/YouTube).
A mother in Seattle is accused of beating her son to death with an extension cord — telling him it’s “butt cutting time” — after he failed to finish his chores, cops say.
“(The boy) did not complete his chores and she was angry,” the arrest report, which was first obtained by the local ABC affiliate KOMO, reads. The mom, who has not been charged yet or named publicly, allegedly “ordered” the 14-year-old to remove his clothing as she retrieved an extension cord and prepared to punish him for not finishing the tasks he was given on Thursday afternoon, the Seattle Police Department reports.
“(The mother) told him it was butt cutting time,” authorities allege. “She shoved him against the wall, causing him to strike head, go limp and fall to the floor.”
According to police, the teen was “ordered” to stand, and he complied.
“(The mom) continued to beat (her son) for approximately an hour,” the report states.
The 29-year-old woman allegedly whipped her child with the extension cord until he “became unresponsive,” cops say. She waited roughly five minutes to see if he’d recover, according to police, and then called 911 to report what happened.
Officers responded Thursday at 2:17 pm to the 4000 block of 14th Avenue South and found the victim “suffering from multiple injuries,” according to a Seattle Police press release. The Seattle Fire Department also arrived on scene and provided emergency medical aid to the boy, who was transported to a local medical center in critical condition.
“Despite all life-saving efforts, he was pronounced deceased,” police officials said in the Jan. 30 release. “The victim’s 29-year-old mother was arrested for investigation of homicide.”
The boy’s mom refused to leave jail to appear in court on Friday afternoon for her first hearing, according to KOMO. Her bail was set at $3 million after the woman’s public defender attempted to argue for her release, despite her being a no-show.
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“I know of the seriousness of these facts, but this also involves a mother losing her son and significant trauma she is experiencing from that,” attorney Zelena Jones told Judge Jill Klinge, per KOMO. “I’d also argue there would be additional trauma on top of that if she is incarcerated. Given her limited history, the fact it appears she cooperated with law enforcement, and the fact that she has very limited resources, she should be released.”
Police say they expect the mother to be charged and identified publicly by Tuesday. She is being held at the King County Jail in downtown Seattle.
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