Mom Admits In Court Slitting Son's Throat for His Birthday to Fulfill 'Death Wish'

Katie Lee was in court on Wednesday, October 22, when she made her guilty plea, accepting a deal that canceled a pending jury trial, and also set aside a first-degree murder charge, which would have carried a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Instead, a tearful Lee pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for the fatal stabbing of her 17-year-old son Austin Pikaart, according to Fox affiliate WXMI. She admitted in court to giving her son a "mind-altering substance" and then stabbing him in an attempt to help him fulfill what she called a "death wish" before he turned 18.

As part of the deal, she also pleaded guilty to a charge of resisting and obstructing police and a newly-added charge of torture, per NBC affiliate WOOD. She will be sentenced January 19 to 60 to 90 years behind bars, according to MLive.com.

In court, per the news outlet, Lee admitted to cutting her son's wrist as he lay incapacitated by drugs. "And then did you also use that knife to slice his throat? As a result of you slicing his throat, did that result in his death? And ultimately, you actually called the police at some point in time, is that true?" Judge Hulsing asked her, to which she responded, "Yes."

That 911 call came in around 4:15 a.m. on Friday, February 21, with Lee telling the dispatcher that they had attempted to overdose at 1 p.m. that day. Her son ultimately passed out, but did not stop breathing, per the complaint. And so, at around 6 p.m., according to Lee's call, she cut his throat and arm with a kitchen knife.

"The caller Katie Lee told dispatch that she couldn’t get her son to stop breathing," Sgt. Brent Sluiter had previously said in transcripts of a hearing to obtain warrants in the case, according to WZZM's reporting.

"She advised her son asked her to help him stop breathing and [she] had been trying to for a while," the document read. "She advised her son asked her to help him stop breathing because he did not want to turn 18."

When police arrived at the home, Lee was brandishing a large knife "up by her shoulder as if to threaten officers," as detailed in WOOD's reporting. The arrest complaint stated that she had blood on her clothes, as well as on the knife.

Lee allegedly did not comply with orders to drop the knife, per the documents.

The report details how police ultimately subdued the suspect, which began with them tasing her. She threw the knife into the hallway, but then allegedly lunged back toward it in an effort to reclaim it, per the complaint. It was at this point she was tased again, and ultimately taken into custody.

According to the police documents, she said officers were "supposed to kill her ... so that she could be with her son." Lee was transported to a local hospital for possible overdoes treatment, per WZZM.

Police then reported finding Pikaart on his bed with a pool of blood around his head. First responders pronounced him dead on the scene, with an autopsy confirming the "large" cut on his neck as the cause of his death. He also had two cuts on his arm, per MLive.com. His death was ruled a homicide.

"Austin had a patient, gentle, kind hearted soul as well as a great love for helping others," Pikaart's online obituary read, adding that he "was loved by so many and was a not only a son, but a big step brother, a cousin, a nephew, a grandson and a friend to many."

After Lee's arraignment, a woman who told WOOD she was the suspect's sister told the news outlet, "The only thing I can say is to take mental health serious. That's it." The outlet reported family members saying, "We love you, Katie," after she was charged.

If you or someone you know needs help, call 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call the network, previously known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, at 800-273-8255, text HOME to 741741, or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional resources.