A 19-year-old man was arrested in Hawaii for allegedly brutally beating his mother to the point where she was “unrecognizable.”
According to Hawaii News Now, Joshua McPeek allegedly punched and stomped on his 38-year-old mother, Michelle McPeek, in the middle of the highway after an argument on April 20.
According to court documents, the woman was discovered lifeless on her back with her face rammed in. Because of her injuries, they said she was unrecognizable.
Joshua McPeek was found a short time later, about a mile from the homicide scene, near Makaha Beach Park, according to an officer. His hands and face were covered with blood, according to authorities.
According to defense attorney Victor Bakke, the teen appeared to be struggling from a severe mental illness, drug addiction, or both.
“Nobody just assaults somebody else like that,” he said, referring to your mother in particular.
Intoxication is not a defense, according to the attorney.
“But sometimes with long-term drug use you’ll see that it causes a brain injury so that the person actually becomes brain damaged so to speak,” Bakke explained.
It’s still unclear what triggered Joshua McPeek’s fight with his mother.
Witnesses did report seeing a second woman crying and running up and down the road all through the attack, but she disappeared completely after a short time.
The teen was detained after a brief struggle, according to authorities. McPeek is facing a murder charge, and his bail has been set at $1 million.
Michelle McPeek was a mother of seven, according to Kuulei Lincoln, who had known her for 15 years.
