A Morgan Hill mother faces one felony count of child abuse after
she allegedly attacked two of her sons with a knife, a pool cue and
a hatchet Monday morning. Both teenagers suffered minor injuries
during the assault but did not require medical attention.
A Morgan Hill mother faces one felony count of child abuse after she allegedly attacked two of her sons with a knife, a pool cue and a hatchet Monday morning. Both teenagers suffered minor injuries during the assault but did not require medical attention.
An argument with the teens that precipitated the incident “revolved around cleaning of the house,” Dan Nishigaya, the deputy district attorney who heads the department’s PACE (physical abuse of children and elderly) unit, said Thursday.
“The facts seem to indicate she suffers from mental illness,” he added.
“From what we learned from the kids, she (the suspect) tends to have an up and down personality,” Police Lt. Joe Sampson said Wednesday.
Police said the boys reported that the incident began at approximately 8am when Diana Cocio, 43, became enraged and allegedly attacked the 17-year-old with a pool cue while he was in his bed. The victim was able to disarm his mother; she left the room and returned with a 7.5-inch double-edged combat knife and a 13-inch hatchet, closing the door behind her. The 14-year-old was also in the bedroom; the suspect was blocking the door.
Sampson said as Cocio swung the weapons repeatedly at her sons, she told them she wanted to “end the family.”
The teenagers were able to distract their mother and disarm her. They then ran from the residence and later phoned an adult brother, who then called police.
Sampson said officers talked with the youths at the apartment complex where they live at about 6:45pm. Only the mother and two brothers lived at the apartment.
Cocio was taken into custody by MHPD officers at the residence without incident.
She was booked into County Jail on two felony counts of assault with a deadly weapon and three counts of felony child abuse. The charge filed by the DA’s office includes an allegation that Cocio used a dangerous and deadly weapon during the attack. If convicted, she faces a maximum sentence of seven years in prison.
“We decided to file what would be a reasonable disposition of the case if she were to plead guilty early,” Nishigaya said. “It’s possible other charges could be filed if the case goes to trial.”
Cocio remains jailed in lieu of $200,000 bail.
County Jail Spokesman Mark Cursi said Thursday that Cocio “is being observed every 15 minutes.” He said law state prohibits disclosing further information about her.
Cocio was scheduled for arraignment Thursday and again on Friday, Nishigaya said, but was not brought to the court house either day for “medical reasons.” The arraignment was rescheduled for Monday at 1:30pm.
The weapons were recovered.
The investigation is continuing.
Sampson said the county Child Protective Services was contacted and is involved in the case.
“They are responsible for providing a safe location for the victims,” he said.
Belinda Quesada-Ramsey, public communication specialist with Santa Clara County Social Services, said Friday that there is a general procedure that is followed in a case such as this one.
“The important thing is get them into a safe, nurturing environment,” she said. “We want to do this with the least possible disruption of their regular schedule, for example, if they are not too emotionally or physically traumatized, we want to get them back into school and a normal routine as soon as possible.”
Every effort is made to place the victims with suitable family members, Quesada-Ramsey said.
