A grandmother fatally stabbed her five-year-old grandson in the kitchen before rushing into a Co-op store, screaming for help.
David-Mario Lazar’s lifeless body was discovered by the police in a pool of blood at a residence in Coventry last January. Elena Anghel, aged 51, has now been given a hospital order after admitting to manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility.
Warwick Crown Court heard that she was experiencing delusions associated with mental illness at the time of the horrifying incident. Anghel had previously received treatment for psychotic and depressive disorders in her home country of Romania, but David-Mario’s parents, Cristina and Dorinel, were unaware of any ongoing mental health issues at the time.
While his parents, Cristina and Dorinel, were at work, Anghel was responsible for looking after David-Mario. The court was informed that she carried out a “prolonged, deliberate attack with a sharp object” after grabbing a knife from the kitchen.
Afterwards, Anghel went to a nearby Co-op store, slapping her face and repeatedly shouting “police.” She believed that the mafia was targeting her grandson and claimed that she had killed him out of “love.”
A post-mortem examination confirmed that young David-Mario had died from stab wounds.