A Texas mum killed her six-year-old child with a lethal cocktail of drugs to collect $100k from life insurance payouts.
Ashley Marks, 25, has been charged with capital murder and was being held without bond.
Prosecutors from Harris County District Attorney’s Office say the evil mum gave Jason Sanchez-Marks lethal doses of over-the-counter drugs as well as methamphetamine.
A court also heard that the toxicology report shows the boy also had cocaine in his system.
The boy and his 4-year-old sister were living with their grandfather at the time of Jason’s death.
They had been under his care since they were diagnosed with tuberculosis in April 2020, but their mother would come over to give them their medications.
The little girl, however, refused to take the medicine according to a Child Protective Services report.
Child Protective Services said: “The grandfather said he repeatedly contacted the mother over a two-day period notifying her that the 6-year old child was ill (projectile vomiting, hallucinating, unable to sleep), but neither the mother nor grandfather sought medical attention for the 6-year old as the child’s condition worsened.”
The boy’s grandfather, Adam Marks, told Houston police that after Marks had given her son medicine, the boy started hallucinating and “believed there were bugs on his clothing” and that his grandson “became scared of his hallucinations,” according to court documents.
Mr Marks told police that after he told his daughter that her son had hallucinated after taking his medicine, she told him to give him more. He told police he refused.
He also told police that his daughter gave her son more medicine, Nyquil, a few hours before he died, police said. According to the manufacturer, Nyquil should not be given to children under 12 years old.
The grandfather found the boy unresponsive on June 27, 2020, and called 911.
Marks reportedly also called police and asked for a welfare check, telling police the grandfather told her, “Come get the kids. I no longer want to care for them.”
The boy was dead when officers arrived.
Prosecutors said Marks gave Jason toxic levels of “Chlorpheniramine, Dextromethorphan, and Diphenhydramine with Methamphetamine” as well as narcotics, according to documents.
Prosecutors said Marks wanted to collect on two life insurance policies that totalled $100,000.
CPS said the little girl is now living with her father.