An Illinois father is at the center of a tragic case revolving around the death of his son. The son was stabbed to death in 2009, and his father is facing a murder accusation. However, in defending against the felony charge, the father asserts that his son actually committed suicide.
The man’s defense lawyers are attempting to shed light on the son’s bizarre behavior prior to his death. The accused man’s wife has been on the witness stand for the last few days, and she claims her son was using illegal drugs. She testified that she spoke with her son about hearing voices and that he may need a gun to protect himself. She also claims he stated that he met Jesus after his spirit fled from his body, and that he walked to the grocery store barefoot in the snow.
Both parents were apparently concerned about the state of their son’s mental health. Prosecutors in the case are trying to convince jurors that the father became enraged after his son came home late after purchasing drugs. They believe he slit his son’s throat and stabbed him multiple times. However, the defense argues that the man’s confession to the crime was coerced.
A conviction on the felony charge of murder could be enough to send the man to an Illinois prison for the rest of his life. Right now, his legal team is attempting to convince the jury the man’s son had serious mental issues which led him to take his own life. How the trial will turn out is unknown, but the father is deemed innocent under the law unless and until proven guilty on the felony charge. He has every right to challenge any testimony and other evidence offered against him as he fights to clear his name.
Source: Chicago Tribune, “Northbrook Murder defendant’s lawyers say son acted strangely,” Dan Hinkel, Dec. 3, 2012