A Florida teen is accused of viciously attacking his mother after she talked with him about sneaking out during the night and using social media, the Sun Sentinel reports.
The suspect, 17-year-old James Edward Monroe, allegedly exploded a Molotov cocktail above the woman, burning her, and then beat her with a baseball bat. The assault occurred early Tuesday in Davie, Florida, which is near Fort Lauderdale.
According to authorities, Monroe poured alcohol into a glass bottle, stuffed a rag on top and then threw the burning object into his mother’s bedroom, where she was sleeping. The bottle struck the ceiling and exploded, causing fire and glass to rain down on the woman, police records state.
Monroe then used a baseball bat to beat his mother’s head and body. She was able to escape outside and get into her SUV, where she called 911.
“My son tried to kill me, please hurry,” the woman told the operator.
The mother pretended that she was not speaking with 911, telling the son, who was close by, that she was holding the phone only because her head was hurting.
When the operator asked what weapons the teen used, the mother reportedly questioned her son on his actions.
“Why did you need to hit me with a bat and set me on fire?”
The mother can be heard on a transcript of the call telling the teen, “you’ve got to communicate. . . . communicating is the key.”
She also asked the teen to straighten one of her fingers because she thought it might be broken.
Officers who arrived at the home initially thought the woman might have been stabbed because of the amount of blood at the scene. Her hands were cut after she grabbed a butcher knife the son was holding, causing the blade to break.
The woman was rushed to Memorial Regional Hospital, where she underwent emergency surgery and burn treatment.
Sgt. Mark Leone said prior to the incident, the teen “apparently was a good kid, no problems.”
The teen told police that he did not intend to kill his mom. Instead, he claimed that he was just trying to harm her and render her unconscious using the baseball bat, according to an arrest report.
Monroe is being represented by the Broward Public Defender’s Office. He has been charged with attempted murder and making or possessing a destructive device with intent to do bodily harm.
“James Monroe does not have a criminal record or contact with the legal system, and has a high GPA at his high school,” Chief Assistant Public Defender Gordon Weekes said. “He is being held in the juvenile detention center in Fort Lauderdale for 21 days. During that time, the state attorney’s office will make a determination about whether to charge him as an adult.”
As of Thursday, the mother was still hospitalized and in stable condition.
[Feature Photo: Pixabay]
