After taking a three-day vacation to Disneyland, a 48-year-old mother of indian descent is accused of killing her 11-year-old son by slitting his neck. According to a news agency PTI report, the suspect, saritha Ramaraju, has been charged with one felony count of murder and one felony enhancement of personal use of a weapon, a knife.
If found guilty of all charges, ramaraju could receive a maximum sentence of 26 years to life in prison, according to a statement from the district attorney's office in Orange County, California.
In 2018, ramaraju moved outside of california after divorcing her husband. The terrible situation occurred while she and her kid were in Santa Ana for a custody visit.
She bought herself and her son three-day passes to Disneyland while they were in Santa Ana. On march 19, ramaraju was supposed to leave the motel and give her son back to his father.
Instead, at approximately 9:12 a.m. (local time) the same day, she called 911 and stated that she had slain her kid and taken some pills to end her own life.
The corpse of the 11-year-old child was discovered on the bed in a room full of Disney memorabilia shortly after the Santa Ana police arrived on the scene. Before ramaraju called the police, it seemed the boy had been dead for a few hours, according to the DA's statement.
The motel room itself also contained the murder weapon, a big kitchen knife. The knife was purchased by the accused the day before. She was brought to the hospital because she had eaten an unidentified substance after killing her kid.
Ramaraju was arrested on suspicion of being involved in the boy's death and released from the hospital on Thursday.
"The life of a child should not hang in the balance between two parents whose anger for each other outweighs their love for their child," stated Todd Spitzer, the district attorney for Orange County.
"Anger causes you to lose sight of your obligations and the people you love. A youngster should feel most secure in the arms of their parents. In the cruelest turn of events, she cut their son's throat rather than embracing him in love, removing him from the very world she had brought him into," he continued.
Custody Battle for Son
Notably, ramaraju and her husband Prakash Raju had been fighting for custody of their son since last year. Ramaraju claimed that he was making decisions about his health and education on his own, without seeking her opinion, which led to the altercation. Additionally, she said that her ex-husband struggled with substance misuse.
According to court documents, Raju was handed custody of his son after the couple's 2018 divorce, while saritha was granted visitation rights. ramaraju wants her 11-year-old child to reside with her in Fairfax, Virginia. She said that Ramaraju "gets very aggressive under the influence of alcohol, drugs, and smoke" and that he has a "history of substance abuse issues."
She said that their son is "very scared to talk to mother as he will get into trouble with dad" and accused Prakash Raju of having "severe control issues."
In contrast, Raju charged that his ex-wife had "cited completely false and untrue abuse and substance abuse issues."
If found guilty of all charges, ramaraju could receive a maximum sentence of 26 years to life in prison, according to a statement from the district attorney's office in Orange County, California.
In 2018, ramaraju moved outside of california after divorcing her husband. The terrible situation occurred while she and her kid were in Santa Ana for a custody visit.
She bought herself and her son three-day passes to Disneyland while they were in Santa Ana. On march 19, ramaraju was supposed to leave the motel and give her son back to his father.
Instead, at approximately 9:12 a.m. (local time) the same day, she called 911 and stated that she had slain her kid and taken some pills to end her own life.
The corpse of the 11-year-old child was discovered on the bed in a room full of Disney memorabilia shortly after the Santa Ana police arrived on the scene. Before ramaraju called the police, it seemed the boy had been dead for a few hours, according to the DA's statement.
The motel room itself also contained the murder weapon, a big kitchen knife. The knife was purchased by the accused the day before. She was brought to the hospital because she had eaten an unidentified substance after killing her kid.
Ramaraju was arrested on suspicion of being involved in the boy's death and released from the hospital on Thursday.
"The life of a child should not hang in the balance between two parents whose anger for each other outweighs their love for their child," stated Todd Spitzer, the district attorney for Orange County.
"Anger causes you to lose sight of your obligations and the people you love. A youngster should feel most secure in the arms of their parents. In the cruelest turn of events, she cut their son's throat rather than embracing him in love, removing him from the very world she had brought him into," he continued.
Custody Battle for Son
Notably, ramaraju and her husband Prakash Raju had been fighting for custody of their son since last year. Ramaraju claimed that he was making decisions about his health and education on his own, without seeking her opinion, which led to the altercation. Additionally, she said that her ex-husband struggled with substance misuse.
According to court documents, Raju was handed custody of his son after the couple's 2018 divorce, while saritha was granted visitation rights. ramaraju wants her 11-year-old child to reside with her in Fairfax, Virginia. She said that Ramaraju "gets very aggressive under the influence of alcohol, drugs, and smoke" and that he has a "history of substance abuse issues."
She said that their son is "very scared to talk to mother as he will get into trouble with dad" and accused Prakash Raju of having "severe control issues."
In contrast, Raju charged that his ex-wife had "cited completely false and untrue abuse and substance abuse issues."