Prosecutors: Man stabbed 93-year-old mother 12 times, made sure she was dead before calling 911
Edward Mitzelfeld was pretty sure the 12 stab wounds prosecutors say he inflicted on his mother Wednesday evening killed her, but he wanted to be sure, DuPage County prosecutors said Friday.
Among the chilling details outlined at his Friday morning bond hearing, Assistant State's Attorney Robert Willis said that after stabbing his 93-year-old mother and leaving her lying on the kitchen floor, Mitzelfeld "waited several minutes before calling 911 to make sure she was deceased and paramedics couldn't revive her."
Mitzelfeld, 64, of Bartlett, is being held on $5 million bail, charged with the first-degree murder of his mother, Frances Kelly, 93.
Willis said Mitzelfeld encountered his mother on the couch Wednesday afternoon and attacked her, twisting her head and neck in an attempt to kill her. When that didn't work, he retreated to the attached garage.
Willis said Mitzelfeld later returned inside the home and attacked his mother in the kitchen before grabbing a "large kitchen knife" and stabbing her 12 times from behind. One wound punctured her aorta and several others injured her lungs.
Willis said that after waiting several minutes, Mitzelfeld called 911, gave only the address of the home he shared with Kelly in Bartlett and hung up. He later called back and identified himself.
When police arrived around 5:27 p.m., Willis said, Mitzelfeld was standing on the front lawn with his hands raised and told police the knife was in the kitchen sink.
When police entered the home, they found Kelly facedown in a pool of her own blood, with several puncture wounds visible through her robe.
Willis gave no motive for the slaying but said family members have said Mitzelfeld, who lived alone with his mother for the past three or four years, was previously diagnosed as bipolar and schizophrenic and had stopped taking his medication.
"Frances' surviving family and friends have suffered a horrific loss, and to them I offer my sincerest condolences," DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said in a written statement. "What makes this case particularly troubling is that the defendant is the victim's son. I wish Frances' family and friends strength and courage as they say goodbye to one family member and find themselves looking at another family member accused of her murder."
Mitzelfeld told DuPage County Judge Robert Miller he plans to hire a private attorney after borrowing money from family and friends.
His next court date is scheduled for Monday when Miller will rule on whether to appoint a clinical psychologist to evaluate Mitzelfeld and Mitzelfeld is expected to decide whether to hire a private attorney.