Mary Hawkins Harrisburg Pennsylvania mother strangles 3 year old daughter so she could see what it felt like. Faces attempted homicide and other charges.
A central Pennsylvania woman is alleged to have attempted to have strangled her 3 year old daughter because ‘she wanted her to know what it felt like’ according to Dauphin County prosecutors prosecutors.
Mary Hawkins of Harrisburg is accused of choking and punching her 3 year old daughter at a residence on Thursday after the woman telling the child’s grandmother she wanted the child to ‘know what it is like to be choked.’
Upon her arrest, the 22 year old mother was charged with attempted homicide, aggravated assault, strangulation and endangering the welfare of children Pennlive reported.
The child was taken to Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center for treatment and is expected to make a full recovery, police said.
According to a probable cause affidavit, at about 11.48 a.m, Thursday, Hawkins’ boyfriend’s mother called the police to report child abuse. The woman told police she came home to the 500 block of South 17th Street and heard Hawkins screaming, ‘Why can’t you just be happy?’
‘I wanted her to know what I have felt’
When the woman walked back to the 3-year-old’s room, she found Hawkins sitting over the 3-year-old and choking her, according to the affidavit. The toddler could not make any sounds during this time.
Hawkins immediately stopped choking the toddler when her boyfriend’s mother came into the room and yelled, ‘What the [expletive] are you doing?’ The affidavit said Hawkins then asked her boyfriend’s mother to kill Hawkins.
Hawkins’ boyfriend’s mother saw bruising across the 3-year-old’s face. Hawkins admitted to punching the girl several times, rupturing a blood vessel in the toddler’s left eye, according to the affidavit.
The affidavit said Hawkins told the police she choked the 3-year-old about five times. When police asked her why she did it, Hawkins allegedly said, ‘I wanted her to feel what I have felt. I know what it’s like to be choked.’
Hawkins is being held without bail, in part, because authorities consider her a flight risk. According to court documents, most of Hawkins’ family lives in Georgia and she does not have ties to Pennsylvania now that her boyfriend — the 3-year-old’s father — has broken up with her.
Hawkins is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on March 15.
