A SON shouted “I want her to die” as he stabbed his mother more than 30 times outside their home, a court heard.
Daniel Cook brutally knifed his mum Ellen Cook, 72, to death outside their Littlethorpe home near Leicester, on May 11 this year.
The 39-year-old launched his attack after claiming she was a witch while the family ate Sunday dinner together.
Leicester Crown Court heard multiple experts believed Cook suffers from schizophrenia.
The court heard Cook flew into a rage after Ellen had refused to let him move back into the house, where she lived with husband Russell.
When she made her way from the living room to the kitchen, Cook followed her.
Russell heard his wife screaming “don’t” before walking in to discover her lying in a pool of blood.
Cook was standing above her with a knife and told his father “I’m not doing you” before knocking him down.
Ellen managed to crawl her way out onto the street before Cook chased her down and continued stabbing her in front of horrified neighbours.
Russell was heard telling his son: “That’s enough. You’re going to kill her.”
Cook replied: “That’s exactly what I want – I want her to die.
“It’s her fault.”
Police responded at the scene at around 9.20pm and were forced to taser Cook after he failed to surrender.
Ellen was tragically pronounced dead around 25 minutes after paramedics arrived.
In custody Cook told the police: “She’s the cause of it. She’s the source of all my problems.
“I’m going to win the case – my mum started it. You know the script.”
The 39-year-old later pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.
The court heard he had been admitted into a mental health unit at a nearby hospital in 2023 and had previously threatened his mother with a knife in 2009.
Mr Lloyd-Jones, prosecuting, told how Cook’s sisters also claimed he would be a “genuine danger” if he was released.
In a victim impact statement, one sister said of Ellen: “All she ever wanted was for him to be well and live a normal life.”
Mary Prior KC, representing Cook, argued there would be a large risk sending the defendant to prison regarding monitoring his medications.
She told the court Cook would be better receiving a hospital order, in the interest of public safety.
Judge Spencer told Cook upon sentencing: “You stabbed your own mother to death. She was 72 years of age when she died.
“It’s clear to me your violence only had one target – your irrationally-arrived-at target of your mother.”
“I hope you understand something of what your family have said.
“For about a year prior to the killing you honed the warped view that your mother had forced medication on you when you were a child.
“You would, on occasion, shout at her. You would accuse her of being a witch.
“You declared at a family meal that your mother had poisoned you. She was undeterred.
“She loved you and she continued to support you.”
Cook sat in the dock drinking from a bottle of juice as he was sentenced.
He received a life sentence with a minimum of 21 years before he is eligible for parole.
Cook will remain in hospital until he is deemed medically fit to be discharged to prison.
Detective Superintendent Mark Sinski, from the East Midlands Special Operations Unit Murder Investigation Team, said: “This was a horrific incident with very tragic and heartbreaking consequences.
“A family has been left utterly devastated by the events of that evening.
“The family of Mrs Cook have shown immense bravery throughout the investigation and subsequent criminal proceedings and my thoughts continue to remain with them at this most difficult time.
“A number of witnesses assisted at the scene at the time of the incident to try and help Mrs Cook and also provided statements to assist our enquiries that followed – I would like to thank these witnesses for your support throughout as we worked to find answers for Mrs Cook’s family. Thank you.”
