A 36-year-old mother in Arizona is accused of attempting to kill her 8-year-old son several times with household items such as tile flooring and a rosary, which she allegedly attempted to use as a garrote.
Erica C. Encinas was arrested on Monday and charged with attempted first-degree murder, aggravated assault with strangulation, aggravated assault on a minor, and child abuse.
According to the Mesa Police Department, officers responded to a home on Broadway Road around 6:15 a.m. on Sunday to investigate a reported domestic violence incident.
The caller, later identified as Encinas, allegedly told the emergency dispatcher that she had physically attacked her 8-year-old son, who has special needs.
When first responders arrived on the scene, they reported finding the victim severely injured and in need of medical attention. The child was transported to a local hospital, where he was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
When questioned by authorities, Encinas admitted that she had been planning to murder her son “for a while” and had already made several unsuccessful attempts, according to Mesa NBC affiliate KPNX.
During Encinas’ initial court appearance, prosecutors revealed additional disturbing details about the alleged incident.
During the proceedings, Deputy County Attorney Ashley Stetson described what the state believes Encinas did to her child, according to Phoenix CBS affiliate KPHO.
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“First, she tried to hit him over the head with a rock,” prosecutors allegedly told the court. “That did not kill the victim, so then she tried to smother him with a trash bag, that did not work, your honor, then she tried to choke him with a rosary.”
Stetson stated that Encinas’ initial plan was to drown her son in a nearby creek, according to the report.
Furthermore, the prosecutor informed the court that Encinas’ 12-year-old daughter was present during the horrific attack and attempted to assist her brother.
“In the process, her other minor child did try to intervene, your honor, to save her sibling, but the suspect did fight the second minor victim,” Stetson said, according to a report from Phoenix Fox affiliate KSAZ. According to prosecutors, during the brief struggle with the 12-year-old, Encinas bit the older child.
The judge reportedly responded to the allegations by saying he was glad Child Protective Services was already involved in the case before saying, “I don’t know if she’ll ever be in a situation where she will be in the same location [her children] are.”
Following the hearing, Encinas was remanded to jail in lieu of a $250,000 cash bond.
