Prosecutors Say Mother, Caregiver Killed Autistic Teen To End His Suffering

By Samantha Abernethy in News on Jun 12, 2013 10:20PM

Prosecutors say a 14-year-old boy was stabbed to death by his mother and caregiver, who wanted to put him out of his misery. Dorothy Spourdalakis, 50, and Jolanta Skrodzka, 44, have been charged with first-degree murder and held without bail.

Alex Spourdalakis, who suffered from a severe form of autism, was found dead by his father on Sunday in the River Grove apartment, and the mother and caregiver were found in another room "in a semi-conscious state," having taken several pills in an attempt to kill themselves.

The River Grove women allegedly planned to kill for a week in what prosecutors said was "a cold, calculated and premeditated manner." CBS writes:

On Friday, they allegedly gave him sleeping pills in an effort to induce a fatal overdose, but that didn’t work. Sometime later in the weekend, Dorothy Spourdalakis allegedly stabbed Alex four times in the chest, and slit his wrists, nearly severing one of his hands, according to prosecutors. Skrodzka then allegedly stabbed him several more times.

Both women have admitted to their role in the murder, saying the boy's "emotional condition had deteriorated." The women wrote in a suicide letter that they also killed the family cat because they did not want it sent to the pound.

River Grove Police Chief Rodger Loni told the Tribune that Alex was "severely autistic" and "weighed more than 200 pounds," and officers had been called to the apartment on several occasions to assist the women.