Sheboygan County Sheriff's Workplace / GoFundMe
A Russian-born Wisconsin mom accused of killing her 8-year-old son allegedly informed investigators she was attempting to forestall him from being “abused” as a result of her homeland’s battle in opposition to Ukraine.
Natalia Hitchcock, 41, has lived for years within the U.S. together with her husband and two sons, however a six-page legal criticism filed in Sheboygan County Courtroom this week says she started to spiral uncontrolled in current weeks as she watched information studies of Russia’s slaughter of Ukrainians.
Within the days earlier than Hitchcock allegedly strangled her 8-year-old son Oliver, her husband informed investigators she turned more and more paranoid and had “surges of rages” as she started to drink vodka and have become increasingly “amped up” concerning the battle.
He mentioned he “was fearful about Hitchcock’s psychological way of thinking as she watched TV with the battle between Russia and Ukraine,” the criticism notes.
Along with her mom nonetheless again in Russia, she reportedly turned pissed off with being unable to go see her, and on the identical time started to worry “individuals have been going to be coming from a much bigger metropolis to assault them,” the criticism says.
Her apparently deteriorating psychological situation culminated in a horrifying scene on March 30, when police say she tried to drown her 11-year-old son within the tub earlier than setting her sights on the 8-year-old as a substitute.
Her husband was reportedly woken from a nap by his youthful son informing him Oliver was lifeless. The boy had discovered his youthful brother on the ground of a bed room within the residence and seen that “his mom was on the mattress with a giant knife,” the criticism states.
The Sheboygan Falls Police Division mentioned Oliver truly survived the preliminary assault however died two days later in a hospital.
Dealing with first-degree homicide and tried homicide fees, his mom allegedly confessed to killing Oliver in feedback to her husband and police investigators.
The legal criticism in opposition to her notes that she informed police she may not sleep at night time as a result of she was satisfied the “Russian authorities was going to take her youngsters and abuse them.”
Because the “youngest and most weak,” the criticism says, she determined Oliver “could be higher off lifeless.”
“She mentioned that she believed (Oliver) wouldn't have been capable of defend himself if he had gotten abused and he or she thought it higher to kill him somewhat than watch him be abused. She mentioned that she positioned each fingers round (Oliver’s) neck and squeezed as onerous as she may till (he) stopped respiration,” reads the criticism.
After being knowledgeable on April 1 that Oliver had succumbed to his accidents, police say Hitchcock responded: “Nicely, I assume I completed what I got down to do then,” earlier than she “started to cry softly.”
In her first court docket look on Tuesday, Hitchcock, who additionally tried to stab herself within the chest following the alleged assaults, reportedly turned to beg for forgiveness from her husband.
“I’m so sorry. I don’t know what occurred,” she mentioned, based on native information station TMJ4.
She is at present being held on a $1 million bond, together with her subsequent court docket listening to scheduled for April 7.