US woman in court for cutting baby’s throat with power saw
A woman has been charged with murdering her baby granddaughter who was hit on the head multiple times before having her throat cut with a power saw.
Police in Chicago said seven-month-old Rose Herrera was killed apparently because she would not stop crying.
Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office said her 52-year-old grandmother, Manuela Rodriguez, had been charged with first-degree murder.
A post-mortem examination concluded that the baby was already dead when her throat was cut. It concluded that as well as being hit on the head with an object, she also probably suffocated on a sock placed in her mouth, according to a county medical examiner’s log.
Rodriguez, who police say attempted to kill herself after the attack, was taken to hospital for treatment for injuries that were not considered life-threatening. The State’s Attorney’s Office said she is scheduled to appear in court later today.
Residents of the quiet street in the predominantly Hispanic Little Village neighbourhood where Rose was killed said Rodriguez had some health problems but was always pleasant.
State child welfare officials said they had no record of being called to the home, and neighbours said the woman and her family were always polite and did not cause trouble.
“She would help everybody and if you needed a glass of milk or something she would give it to you,” said Maria Gentil, who has known Rodriguez for several years and said she was a doting grandmother.
“When my mother died, she went up and down the street asking for money for her funeral.”
