Seattle mother charged with murder in killing of autistic 4-year-old son

A 4-year-old boy who was fatally stabbed last week at a Seattle apartment did not die quickly, according to King County prosecutors who charged his mother with first-degree murder domestic violence on Tuesday.

The boy, who was autistic and nonverbal, suffered deliberate injuries to his Achilles tendon and right hand before his mother allegedly stabbed him in the chest with a chef’s knife, a wound that prosecutors said was not immediately fatal. A forensic pathologist told investigators the boy would have died within an hour, plenty of time for his mother to summon medical help, according to the charges.

The charges against the mother, Joelene Rodriguez, who is also known as Joelene Evans, allege that her son was particularly vulnerable or incapable of resistance and that her conduct manifested deliberate cruelty — aggravating factors that, if proven, could be the basis for an exceptional sentence should she be found guilty.

The King County medical examiner’s office has identified the 4-year-old as Jaxson J. Rantala, but he is referred to in charging documents by his initials, J.J.R.

According to the charges, Rodriguez, 45, was Jaxson’s primary caregiver. They did not live with the boy’s father, whom she previously dated.

The father called 911 a little after 4 p.m. on Oct. 16 to report that the mother of his child was possibly suicidal and had tried to cut herself at the Cedar Crossing Apartments in the 6200 block of Roosevelt Way Northeast, charging papers say. He was on the phone with a 911 operator as he made his way to Rodriguez’s seventh-floor apartment and said Rodriguez was on the phone with 988, the national suicide and crisis line.

He then began screaming that Rodriguez had killed their son after seeing him lying face down in the bathtub, according to the charges. Another resident on the seventh floor also called 911 and reported a man was running in the hallway, saying, “Oh, no, she killed him,” and that a woman came out of the apartment and was trying to quiet him, the charges say.

When officers arrived and ordered Rodriguez out of the apartment, the charges say she put her arms in the air and yelled, “They made me do it!”

Officers found Jaxson in the bathtub, which was filled with about three inches of bloody water and clothing, charging papers say. A chef’s knife was found with the boy and a paring knife was wrapped in a towel in the tub.

As first responders worked to try to save the boy, the charges say Rodriguez told officers, “They can’t help him … it’s been too long.” He was pronounced deceased at 4:44 p.m., about 30 minutes after his father first called 911.

In addition to the injuries to his Achilles tendon and hand, an autopsy found three puncture wounds to Jaxson’s chest, likely made with a paring knife, the charges say.

Rodriguez remains jailed in lieu of $5 million bail. She is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday.