West Side resident Johanna Vera pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted murder for giving her two sons rat poison in response to her boyfriend breaking up with her, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. She was sentenced to 8 1/2 years in prison and will be credited with the two-plus years she spent in jail following her arrest.
Ms. Vera wiped away tears and said (in Spanish): "I am really sorry. I really love my children."
Luckily the two boys, one 10-months-old and the other three years old at the time, survived and were not seriously injured from the potentially deadly cocktail.
Ms. Vera's boyfriend and the father of her youngest son, who was not named in the article, reportedly broke up with her on Nov. 29, 2007. So she drove to Walgreens and bought a package of Tomcat rat poison and mixed it with orange juice, Tylenol, Motrin and boric acid. She gave some to each of her children and says she also drank some herself.
She texted her ex-boyfriend immediately after the three began sipping the poisonous concoction, telling him and two friends that she "did something crazy." He then called 911, as did Ms. Vera's roommate, and the three were rushed to the hospital.
Chicago criminal defense attorney Michael Bianucci, Ms. Vera's counsel, said his client was under a lot of pressure, wondered how she would raise two children on her meager wages and only wanted to "attract attention." She succeeded in the latter goal, at a price.
While Judge Mary Margaret Brosnahan told Ms. Vera she believed her when she said she was sorry, she couldn't fathom why a mother would try to kill her own children because of a breakup.
She told the judge she wanted her two boys to live with her father:
"I know I will not get them back, but at least I'll get to see them."
Related Resources:
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What are Plea Bargains? (FindLaw ABA Family Legal Guide)
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Locate a Chicago Criminal Attorney (FindLaw)
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