Family dynamics can often make relationships difficult. Everyone knows the sometimes stressful scenario of sitting down with family members for a meal or gathering. The different personalities often lead to friction. However, most of the time, this friction falls short of violence. Unfortunately for a family in Illinois, a woman has been charged with murder involving the death of her cousin.
According to police reports, the 44-year-old woman lived in a house with her husband and cousin. Police claim the woman stabbed her 68-year-old male cousin in the chest with a knife. She then allegedly attacked her husband with a different knife.
Police claim the husband and wife struggled. They both received relatively minor stab wounds before he was able to disarm her. Reports indicate that authorities responded to the scene after a call reporting a woman who might be suicidal. Upon arrival, they discovered the deceased cousin as well as the injured husband and wife. The woman has been charged with the death of her cousin and attempted murder for the attack against her husband.
There are many details of the incident that are unknown at this time, including the woman’s version of the events. She could have, for example, simply been defending herself. Prosecutors will have to prove that the Illinois woman who has been charged with murder and attempted murder is guilty of these crimes beyond a reasonable doubt. Unless and until that time comes, she is considered fully innocent in the eyes of the law. Nevertheless, the potentially severe consequences that a criminal conviction could bring require that she make every effort to protect her legal rights while fighting to achieve the best possible outcome.
Source: Chicago Tribune, Woman, 44, charged in cousin’s stabbing death, Clifford Ward and Melissa Jenco, Oct. 4, 2013