A stay-at-home mom from Maryland felt “overwhelmed” caring for her autistic son, so she allegedly tried to cut his head off with a saw because he “needed to die,” according to reports.
Kristina Petrie, 46, went berserk at her Aspen Hill home March 12 when her 11-year-old son came home from school and went upstairs to play video games, WJLA reported.
The boy’s younger brother was crying on the sofa, while Petrie was nearby going through fits of laughter and tears, according to court papers.
With a saw in hand, Petrie confronted her 11-year-old about why he wasn’t doing his homework – and that’s when she allegedly attacked.
The crazed mom chased the boy, pinned him down and “jammed” the teeth of the saw against his neck, “moving it back and forth multiple times,” court documents said.
The screaming boy managed to grab the saw and escape. Petrie then allegedly called her husband Andrew and confessed to the attack, according to the report.
Petrie was taken by her husband to the hospital, where she told staff she was “overwhelmed” and “not doing enough to help her children with their autism,” court papers said.
She also admitted fearing that both her kids would “grow up to be a burden to society” and believed they “needed to die.”
Petrie told staff that she “tried to kill her kids again” when they asked why she was at the hospital.
Investigators met with the 11-year-old boy three days after the alleged attack and noticed “several thin lines” and broken skin with “scabbing” on his neck. Cuts and marks were also found on his left shoulder, back and left hand. Photos of his injuries were taken.
Petrie was held without bond following a court hearing Tuesday.
Her attorney Sharon Diamant told WJLA that the mom had “absolutely no intent” on harming anyone. Diamant refused to discuss whether Petrie had a mental illness but said she’d been happily married for 15 years, has no prior record and loves her children.
Neighbors described Petrie as a “lovely, stay-at-home mom” who kept busy doing yard work and running her kids to and from activities. The boys’ father works full-time in a “white-collar profession,” another neighbor said.
Petrie is charged with attempted first-degree murder, first-degree child abuse and second-degree child abuse. She faces up to life in prison, plus 40 years, if convicted on all counts.
Her next court date is April 20.