Teen accused of attacking mother with sledgehammer11.23 p.m. ET (420
GMT) January 23, 1998ERIE, Pa. (AP) - A teen-age boy came up behind his
mother as she sat on their living room couch Friday afternoon and struck
her in the back of the head with a 5-pound sledgehammer, state police
said. Mark David States, 17, then walked to a neighbor's home and
announced what he had done, according to his arrest warrant. States was
charged as an adult with attempted homicide and aggravated assault and
jailed on 50,000 bail. His mother, Michelle States, 37, was in serious
condition Friday night. Jim Jackson, another neighbor, found Mrs. States
on his doorstep drenched in blood. "I didn't even know who it was at
first, because she was covered head to toe with blood,'' he told The
Morning News for Saturday's editions. Mrs. States had defensive wounds
to her hands, indicating she tried to protect herself, Trooper Dana
Anderson said. "At this point, we're still looking into why she was
attacked,'' Anderson said. "It seems that this was unprovoked or that
the provocation was minimal if there was any.'' States told police he
did not remember striking his mother, but recalled seeing her "bleeding
on their couch, that a sledgehammer was in his hand ... that no one else
was at home and the door to their residence was locked.'' Anderson said
States dropped out of high school and does not have a job. "My
understanding is that there had been ongoing family problems, some
domestic-type problems, and the state police have been to the residence
before,'' Anderson said. Jackson said the States family has a history of
trouble with their son. "The situation with Mark has been a bomb ready
to go off for a long time,'' he said. |
