Prosecutors: Addison mom cut son so they'd 'die together'
Sameera Samreen was praying when she cut her own neck and then turned a 7-inch kitchen knife on her 3-year-old son cradled in her lap, prosecutors said in court Thursday.
"She told investigators that if they were going to die, they would die together," Assistant State's Attorney Anne Therieau said.
Therieau said Samreen, 28, panicked when the child screamed and began applying pressure to his neck while texting her boss for help.
When police arrived, the Addison woman claimed two men had broken into her home through a third-story balcony, authorities said.
Samreen later confessed she cut herself and the child because she was distraught and alone, with her entire family in India, Therieau said. The boy, who survived, also provided details.
"He said his mommy cut him," Therieau said.
DuPage County Judge Blanche Hill Fawell raised Samreen's bail by $150,000 and had her taken into custody after prosecutors outlined the allegations at a pretrial hearing Thursday.
Samreen was recently freed from jail following a bond reduction, but prosecutors argued she since has been indicted on more serious charges that carry a minimum 10-year prison term.
Defense attorney David Camic was confident Samreen would be able to post the additional $15,000 to be released again.
His investigation into he case is ongoing, he said.
"We're going to explore all aspects, including whether there was any mental illness that might have attributed if, in fact, these allegations are true," Camic said.
Samreen is accused of stabbing the boy on March 31, the same weekend her ex-husband was remarried in India.
Authorities said the child was treated for a 5-centimeter cut to his neck and has since been in a relative's care. Samreen was treated for a 12-centimeter cut to her neck and a cut to her wrist.
Samreen is charged with attempted murder, armed violence, aggravated battery to a child and aggravated domestic battery. Her next court date is June 29.