Man in US beats mum to death, claims he was performing an exorcism
Police in the United States (US) were called to a home in the early hours of 18 April to find a man covered in blood and holding a Bible, who told officers he had killed his mother during an “exorcism”.
Officers arrived at the residence on Farmers Branch Street in Fort Worth, Texas at around 1.30am, following a 911 call from an anonymous tipster who had received a disturbing image in a Snapchat group chat.
Source: Google Maps via New York Post
The photo reportedly showed a woman on the ground, covered in what appeared to be blood.
Killed mum & dog in ritual
Police were first alerted when a member of a Snapchat group chat reported receiving the image from 23-year-old Alexander Taylor Valdez.
Source: FOX 4 News
When officers arrived, Valdez answered the door with blood on his face, torso, hands, and feet.
He was holding a Bible and told police:
It was an exorcism.
Inside the home, officers found his mother, 58-year-old Tersita Sayson, dead in the master bedroom with visible trauma to her head and upper body.
A dead dog was also found in the same room, and investigators later discovered blood and hair stuffed into a broken jewellery box.
Ms Sayson was pronounced dead at the scene. The medical examiner confirmed her cause of death as blunt force injuries to the head.
Also claims he was performing witchcraft
When asked about the blood, Valdez said it was part of a ritual.
“I was doing witchcraft to kill my mum,” he told officers. “There is a dead body in there, it’s my mum.”
While he admitted to the killing at the scene, Valdez later refused to answer further questions and asked for a lawyer.
He is currently being held on a US$750,000 (S$986,000) bond and faces a murder charge.
Authorities have not disclosed a motive, and the investigation is ongoing.
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Featured image adapted from FOX 4 News and pcess609 on Canva, for illustration purposes only.
