Mom allegedly beat boy with hammer, choked him why because she is dieing and did not want anyone else to raise him
Police say a 40-year-old Brooklyn woman killed her young son on Friday night by bashing him on the head with a hammer several times, choking him with her hands and a belt and putting a plastic bag over his head, according to court documents.
Tenika Revell’s boyfriend reportedly told the New York Daily News that he believed she killed her 7-year-old son Bernard because she was dying of breast cancer and did not want anyone else to raise the boy after she died.
“She loved him so much she didn’t want nobody else to have him,” Terrace Johnson told the paper.
Johnson could not be reached for comment Tuesday, but Revell’s attorney, Harvey Soss, told HLN it is too early to say what defense he will present. Soss said his approach to the case will depend on the evaluation of her mental state, but whether she truly had terminal cancer or she just believed she did, “this is a circumstance where you have to look beyond the surface.”
An NYPD spokesperson declined to discuss the details of the case, but police sources reportedly told the New York Post that Revell called 911 around 11:00 p.m. Friday and stated that she had killed her son and taken pills. Responding officers found Bernard unconscious in his bed and he was declared dead at the scene. Tenika Revell was taken to a hospital for treatment for a pill overdose, the paper reported. Court records show she has been ordered to undergo psychiatric examination.
A criminal complaint alleged that Revell admitted to police that she had struck her son with a hammer and choked him. The document also stated that a medical examiner found lacerations on Bernard’s head, hemorrhages of the eyes, face and neck and ligature marks around his neck. The death was ruled a homicide and Revell has been charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter and endangering the welfare of a child.
Soss said Tuesday he plans to review Revell’s mental health records and he will decide the next step for the defense once experts determine whether she is fit to stand trial. Her next court appearance is currently set for August 7.
Don't judge ADHD if you don't understand it!!!
- steveiguana
on Jul. 13, 2012 at 5:01 PM